Promotion to Lover
by Haihai-BAKAdesu
Summary: When Byakuya accidentally overhears a love confession from Renji, he realises he'll do anything to hear it again. Renji will soon realise just how powerful 3 little words are. Ren x Bya -Yaoi alert!-
1. His Confession

**Promotion to Lover [Chapter 1: His Confession]**

**Pairing: Byakuya Kuchiki x Renji Abarai**

**Rating: M (It'll get there, don't you worry!)**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any Bleach characters (which sucks)**

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As a light breeze drifted through the windows and Byakuya Kuchiki just had to sit back in his chair and enjoy the momentary serenity. There was no fight he was supposed to be taking part in, no urgent, life-threatening matters at hand or any kind of situation that required the aid of his Senbonzakura. At this very moment, his Zanpakutou was sheathed securely in its scabbard and attached to his waist.

Serenity never seemed to be in a constant state in Seretei these days. Of course bad things would happen from time to time, but since Ichigo Kurosaki appeared on the scene, it was like he was some kind of invitation for everything single bad occurrence that was ever going to happen to suddenly appear; Namely Sosuke Aizen's betrayal. Since then, everything had been in an uproar for months just trying to return things to normal. This was why Byakuya suddenly felt the need to make use of any quiet moment he got.

As if in defiance to his thoughts, heavy footfalls thundered down the hallway outside his office and the door swung open to reveal a familiar face, "Sorry I'm late, Captain! I swear it won't happen again..." Renji panted like he'd ran every step of the way, which he probably had.

Byakuya just sat silently and gave Renji a quick once over. His violently red hair was tied up messily with thick strands falling over his face and even his high ponytail was tied at a crooked angle as if done in a rush. His hakama was tied together messily with a knot that was threatening to come undone. The look Renji was giving him was almost an unspoken apology, knowing full well what his captain would say next.

Byakuya sighed and narrowed his eyes, "...Abarai,"

"Yes?" Renji winced in preparation for the impending lecture.

"You and I both know full well that this _will_ happen again. Lucky for you, you've caught me in a good mood so I'm letting you get away with it this time. Next time, I will not be so forgiving. Fix yourself up immediately then greet me properly."

Renji bowed deeply and darted out of the office to fix up his hair and hakama. Catching his captain in a good mood was a rare occasion and downright out of the norm, not that he was complaining. Renji decided it must have something to do with the recent quietness. There were probably only a few people who knew Byakuya's personality back to front and Renji prided himself on being one of those few. He blushed lightly at the thought.

Byakuya waited patiently until Renji fixed himself up. He eventually came back through his office door and bowed, "Good Morning, Captain."

"Better." He raised his head and Byakuya continued, "There's paperwork I need you to fill out, afterwards I want you to take the division out for sparring practice and," He paused. "It's Friday today, isn't it?"

Renji nodded. On Friday afternoons, he and a few of the other lieutenants would meet and drink for a few hours in the lieutenants' room. It was pure luck that Byakuya let him leave early on Fridays but he had a slight inkling that he'd be late today as punishment for his tardiness. Because of the company of Matsumoto, they normally always went home totally wasted. On Saturdays, everyone would start later at lunch time, which gave the lieutenants enough time to look after their pulsing headaches and foul dispositions. Renji was always late as it was, but even he managed to get in by lunch time.

Byakuya handed Renji the necessary documents without even having to leave his chair. "Then that's all. You may leave."

Renji bowed swiftly again and departed.

Now, Byakuya could return to his brief relaxation. It was ever so casually interrupted every now and then by loud movements outside caused by Renji, but he was entirely accustomed to it – not that he would ever admit it to anyone. The advantages of having such a resigned facial expression meant that he could hide certain thoughts. Most of which he did when they were concerning his lieutenant.

The day moved on as slowly as humanly possible, but that was just perfect for Byakuya. The breeze coming from outside never got any stronger than the occasional gust and the sun shone brightly outside. As the random loud noises desisted, Byakuya assumed that Renji had gone out to spar with the division. Byakuya would normally lightly spar with them too, but today was turning out to be way to peaceful to bother. Still, Renji was certainly capable enough in his absence – not that he'd ever admit that either. There were still some personality traits that needed some fine-tuning, but otherwise he was a good lieutenant.

Before Byakuya even knew it, the day was coming to a close as the sun was slowly starting to make it's way over to the west. Just to say that he'd gotten out of his office at least once that day, Byakuya decided to get up and take a walk around.

The division bases were relatively quiet with the occasional Soul Reaper walking along a pathway. He walked past the buildings until he came to a large garden that sat behind the 4th Division's main building. A large Sakura tree stood in the corner and beside it was a small white marble bench that Unohana put there especially for him. She'd seen Byakuya sneaking off to see the tree when it was in bloom and quickly put in a seat for him. It was one of his favourite places to be when he needed to take a breather away from his post. It could never compare to the almost infinite Sakura Tree forest that stood behind the Kuchiki Main Household, but this singular tree stood with such a finesse and grandeur on its own, much like Byakuya himself. He sat there on that white marble bench for almost an hour undisturbed, watching the wind sway the plants in the large garden.

As the sun moved closer to the horizon, Byakuya slowly made his way back to his office in the 6th Division Sector along a familiar path that passed by the Lieutenants room. That room was almost a spare clubroom for the Lieutenants when they needed to organise separate meeting. It also served as a base for the women's club and sometimes for celebrations and gatherings. The lights were turned on and there was no doubt that Renji and his friends were still in there.

Suddenly, a round of loud, buoyant laughter radiated out from the Lieutenants room. He peered through the window to see Renji, Matsumoto, Kira and Hisagi gathered around a low table with shot glasses strewn over the top. The laughter was careless and hearty indicating their high levels of drunkenness. Byakuya's eyes focused on Renji's lively figure. This was the Renji that he never saw when he was on the job. Byakuya still saw a careless and clumsy side of him regularly, but certainly not to this extent - Expressions that he would only ever show friends whilst drunk on a Friday evening in the Lieutenants rooms.

He observed them intriguingly but not really following their conversation. It was easy to hear through the glass and Byakuya leaned in a little further, their words making their way outside for him to hear.

Inside, Matsumoto was leaning over onto the table, her voluptuous chest barely being contained by her kimono. "Captain Hitsugaya was _such_ a meanie today! He found my liquor stash again and told me to throw it out! I even asked him if he wanted some!"

"I would've taken it! Captain Hitsugaya's a meanie!" Kira frowned dramatically, "That was good stuff!"

"You think _you've_ got it hard!" Renji interrupted, lazily pointing his finger at Matsumoto, "If Captain Kuchiki _ever_ and I mean _ever_, found me with anything like that; he'd go all Senbonzakura Bankai on my sorry ass and kill me!"

Hisagi set his glass down hard on the table, sending droplets of Sake over the already filthy table, "At least _your_ captains didn't run off with that scumbag, Aizen. Now _he's_ a big meanie!"

"Booooo! Aizen's a huge meanie!" Kira chimed in and they both attempted to try and high five, which missed each other entirely. Still, they all laughed and their trivial brooding was already forgotten.

Outside, Byakuya remained emotionless, but mentally took note of their behaviour. He knew that they got exceedingly drunk – as was obvious by Renji's bloodshot eyes every Saturday – but to talk about their captains behind their backs was taking it just a bit too far. Depending what came out of Renji's mouth next, he just might find himself cleaning the entire office with a toothbrush.

"While we're talking about the captains - how's it going with you and Byakuya anyway, eh Renji?" Matsumoto waggled her eyebrows suggestively, and to Byakuya's utter surprise, the redhead blushed.

"It's as bad as usual." Renji admitted.

"Well of course it is. He's as stoic as a marble statue." Hisagi frowned, "I still haven't a clue why you like him so much. It's bad enough that he's your _captain_, but to make matters worse he's probably _colder_ than Captain Hitsugaya's Bankai!"

Byakuya's eyebrows twitched downwards in a brief frown. He'd be talking to Hisagi later.

"Oh, leave him alone." Matsumoto thumped his arm lightly, "But why _do_ you like Captain Kuchiki anyway, Renji?" She giggled.

"I dunno... It's not just as simple as some specific reason." Renji mumbled, the blush on his face amplified by the influence of the alcohol. "He's so cool and strong and in control of every little detail no matter what. He's also one of the smartest people I've ever met... and well... I..."

This time, Byakuya was unable to hide his surprise. It would be understandable if Renji held some kind of admiration for his captain but did... did he hear correctly? Renji had a _crush_ on him? The notion was having a hard time wrapping its way around his brain. Blinking away his stupor, Byakuya managed to continue following the conversation.

"And so respect turned into love." Hisagi sniggered and clapped Renji on the back making him jolt forwards. They both laughed heartily, showing that the alcohol was obviously doing its job.

Still giggling, Matsumoto piped up, "Have you tried saying something to him yet?"

"Yeah! I totally did when he was recovering from being stabbed by Gin, but _fuck!_" He banged his fist hard against the table, "Ichigo came shooting through the window and totally ruined what I was going to say!"

"Ooh, what was it!" Kira leaned forwards and almost put his arm in a puddle of spilt alcohol.

"... Actually, I can't even remember now." Renji chuckled drunkenly and the others broke out into yet another fit of uncontrollable giggles.

Byakuya could definitely still remember. He'd been injured intercepting Gin's Zanpakutou and was admitted into the 4th Division hospital. After he'd regained consciousness, Renji came to see him. Byakuya sat upright in his bed, the bandages reaching up to his neck. "You must be wondering why I'm still alive."

Renji leaned forwards in his chair, "Not at all. If you were dead, who would I compete with?"

Byakuya continued staring straight ahead with the usual emotionless face.

Renji looked at the floor, "Captain, I..." He'd begun to say but before he could finish, Ichigo hauled himself through the window, hollering Renji's name at the top of his voice, startling the both of them.

Renji never finished and as Byakuya thought about it now, he was never really sure of what his lieutenant was going to say. Was that what he was about to say? Was he just about to confess his feelings to his captain? That was just a little over a month now. Just how long had Renji thought about him like that? And now that he knew about it, what was Byakuya going to do?

He stepped away from the window and continued to walk back to his office, but this time, he had something to brood upon. This situation was something that Byakuya would've never expected in a million years. He thought back to all the times when Renji might've accidentally shown his feelings towards his captain. The random acts of closeness, the light blushes he passed off as anger, the lengthy, subtle glances his way – It slowly all added up. Now he was starting to regret stopping to hear their conversation. He would've never caught on about Renji's feelings otherwise.

It wasn't that Byakuya was generally oblivious to such things - it was just that the idea wasn't even _fathomable_ to him just a few minutes ago. The first thought that came to mind was to refuse Renji's feelings straight away. They would only cause trouble later and there was no way that Byakuya could reciprocate them, could he?

Byakuya paused mid-step at the thought. A fluttery sensation filled his stomach making him frown in thought...

... _Could he?_

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Chapter one of my new-er fanfiction! This one is going to be ultra lemony-licious ;D

Comments and reviews will be used to stock up on migrain pills for tomorrow (hangover ahoy!).


	2. His Predicament

**Promotion to Lover [Chapter 2: His Predicament]**

**Pairing: Byakuya Kuchiki x Renji Abarai**

**Rating: M (Soon, my pretties)**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any Bleach characters (D:)**

* * *

When Renji arrived at the 6th Division at around noon the next day, he watched his captain's facial expressions very closely. There was something different about him like he'd changed somehow overnight. There were no signs of change in his physical appearance, but it was the way he was suddenly sitting so casually, drifting off into trances and frowning in thought constantly that made Renji worry.

He would've probably worried more if he didn't have such a splitting headache from the drinking session last night. He always came back with some kind of hangover, but today's was especially bad. In fact, he could barely remember anything from last night – he came, he drank, he left. The end. There was a vague memory of saying something embarrassing, but who doesn't when they're drunk?

"Abarai?..." Renji couldn't help but sigh contently at hearing his captain's voice. Byakuya's quiet voice was exactly what the doctor ordered. The last thing Renji and his hangover needed right now was a captain that ranted loudly. He thanked god that he was no longer in the 11th Division. Captain Zaraki's yelling would've been the immediate death of his eardrums.

"Abarai!"

Renji jolted upright and put his hands over his ears, grimacing. "Yes, Captain?"

Byakuya squeezed the bridge of his nose, "For the last time, have you finished the paperwork I gave you yesterday?"

"Yes, actually." Renji smirked proudly. To keep his captain in a good mood yesterday, he actually worked really hard to finish it. "Is there anything else you need me to do?"

When Renji put the papers down on his desk, Byakuya was very much surprised. It was the first time in months that Byakuya didn't need to finish writing it himself. He looked up at the Lieutenants smug grin and raised an eyebrow at the reaction. It was an opportunity too good to pass up. "Well done, Abarai."

There it was, the reaction that Byakuya was hoping for – Renji's eyes widened and his face reddened noticeably. They both knew that compliments were a rare occurrence and to Renji, it was the highest form of praise. His reaction only confirmed more and more of what Byakuya heard last night.

Renji seemed aware that he was blushing and on seeing Byakuya's analysing gaze, he turned around a little too hastily and walked towards the office door to avoid it.

Byakuya watched his fretting and mentally smirked. It was so blatantly obvious now that Renji had a crush on him. He mentally cursed himself for never noticing it. Now that he knew about Renji's feelings, he could already see changes in his own mannerisms. He was somehow... livelier. He couldn't help but sigh again. He rubbed his eyes and leant his head on the palm of his hand. Both were very surprised when Byakuya accidentally let out a yawn.

"Are you ok, Captain Kuchiki?" Renji turned around ever so slightly to look at his captain's face.

"I'm fine. I just, didn't get much sleep last night." To be truthful, Byakuya got _very_ little sleep last night. Renji's accidental confession had left its mark on him. He thought long and hard about what to do about these feelings but never came to a solid decision.

Last night, lying down in bed, Byakuya just couldn't get Renji's blushing face out of his head. It would be wise to confront Renji about it, but in doing that, he'd be forced right there, right then to give him a yes or no answer. Whatever happened now, for better or worse, everything would change for the both of them. They could never go back to being the way they were. And all because Byakuya heard something he wasn't meant to hear. The entire situation was laughable – Renji wasn't even aware that he even knew about the crush.

"You look tired too, Abarai." Byakuya admitted, commenting on the darkened shadows under Renji's eyes. "Seems like last night you got a bit drunker than usual. If you want, I'll let you sit in my chair to rest for a while."

Renji's eyes widened at the offer. He was so very tempted to take his captain up on it, but it was somewhat suspicious that Byakuya was suddenly caring about Renji's wellbeing. "I think I'll just sleep against the wall, thanks. No need to move for my sake, Captain."

Byakuya shrugged nonchalantly as Renji sat himself down against the wall in the corner furthest away from him. The fact that he chose to deliberately sit further away perturbed him slightly, but he kept his face expressionless per usual."If you insist."

The room fell into silence and slowly, Byakuya went back to his paperwork. After a few minutes, the unusual silence was becoming annoying and he was getting restless. Constant noise was another one of Abarai's traits that he'd come to integrate it into his daily work routine. Without it, things seemed... uncomfortable. "Lieutenant Aba-" Byakuya paused as he looked over at his lieutenant.

Renji was fast asleep with his head leaned against the side of one of the shelves. One arm was propped up onto his knee and the other lay on the floor. Byakuya was surprised at how peaceful he was, despite the hangover. His sleep looked deep with the tiniest fluttering of his eyelids every few minutes. His chest moved up and down in slow, rhythmic movements. This was the first time Byakuya had ever seen him sleep so soundly like that; it was normally irritating with the occasional snoring.

He was overcome with the urge to take a closer look at his lieutenant. After finally gaining the nerve to walk over, he wasn't sure what to do next. Crouching down, he watched the subtle movements he made in his sleep. The usually hardened edges of his face looked softer up close with his eyebrows relaxed and mouth slightly hung open. His eyes trailed from the top of his brow, following the swirling tribal tattoos down until they disappeared under the collar of his hakama. Byakuya's eyes continued to pass down Renji's sleeping figure and a small smile played at the corner of his mouth. Watching his lieutenant like this was something a captain shouldn't do, but for some reason, the fact that he might be breaking some kind of rule barely registered in his mind. He had Ichigo Kurosaki to thank for that.

A sudden curiosity overcame him. Byakuya leaned in close and in the lightest voice he possibly could, he whispered into his ear. "Renji..."

Renji stirred slightly slightly, making Byakuya reel backwards. He moved around a bit, trying to get back into a comfortable position and just when Byakuya was about to turn back to his desk, he heard something he never expected.

"_Byakuya..."_

Byakuya's heartbeat rushed to his head and he felt a vivid blush spread over his face. It was the first time he had ever heard Renji say his first name. Hearing it sent a pleasant shiver down his spine that caught him entirely off guard. He almost willed Renji to say it one more time. Vivid images flashed through his mind that made him turn away from the redhead in embarrassment.

Byakuya stood up and leaning against the shelf, he pinched the bridge of his nose. Forget worrying about Renji's feelings, it was _his_ that he needed to worry about. Was Byakuya really that fickle that one in-adverted love confession could make him change so drastically? It now looked like there was only one conclusion for him – he'd never be able to turn Renji away.

Sighing for the umpteenth time today, Byakuya sat himself back down behind his desk and folded his arms across his chest. Renji still slept soundly and he couldn't help but smile softly as he gazed over his way. The wind whistled outside and light clouds passed over outside, shading the room and its occupants. In the sheltered room, before he knew it, his own eyelids were growing heavy and he all but needed to close them for a moment and he was already asleep.

Over in the corner, Renji finally stirred awake. He groaned as he stretched and cracked his stiff neck. While rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he reminisced about the strange dream he had. Out of the darkness of his sleep, he heard someone call his name. It wasn't a call per say, but more of a loving whisper. Renji doubted he'd ever heard his name said in such a way. But what really sent him blushing was that the voice belonged to a man, in fact, it sounded like Byakuya...

Renji gave himself a light slap to pull him back into reality - His imagination was getting out of hand. It was bad enough that he always thought of Byakuya first thing in the morning, and now it seemed it was every time he fell asleep too. Some mornings, the thoughts weren't as pure as they should be. The taunting images that plagued his mind as he woke were becoming more frequent and more delusional as the weeks passed.

He turned towards his captain and barely contained a smile when he saw him sleeping. Byakuya's head was bowed forwards slightly with his arms folded securely over his chest. Even in his sleep, his captain still maintained a stoic expression. Although he looked delicate, there wasn't a single soft thing about him, or his personality. The shade didn't help make his facial expression look any warmer.

A loud knock at the door pulled him out of his thoughts. "Hey, Renji," Hisagi suddenly put his head thorough the door, "You wouldn't happen to have any m-_mmph_!"

Renji quickly put his hand over his mouth to silence him. "Be quiet, Captain Kuchiki's asleep." He whispered slowly.

"Seriously?" Hisagi glanced over Renji's shoulder and let his mouth hang open. "Wow, I don't think I've ever seen him sleep before. In fact, I wasn't even sure he slept or not – I thought he might be like a _vampire_ or something... What?" He shrugged at Renji's scowling.

Renji rolled his eyes and opened the door further, "What do you want?"

Hisagi quietly stepped in and at a closer glance, Renji could see the dark bags under his eyes, another memento of last night's drinking. He clicked his fingers, "Oh right, I was wondering if you happened to have any more headache pills on you. My head is _killing_ me!"

"_Shhhhh_!" Renji tried to hush him, but it was already too late, Byakuya was slowly stirring. Unlike Renji's dramatic and oblivious style of waking, Byakuya knew immediately that Hisagi was in the room. He refrained from moving as neither of them had noticed that he had been woken up. Just like last night, there was no reason for listening in on the conversation, but it still intrigued him to no end. Especially now more than last night.

"Sorry." Hisagi whispered, "Dude, he's fast asleep. He's not waking up that easily."

Byakuya mentally rolled his eyes. If only.

Renji laughed shakily, "Don't be fooled, he's usually a light sleeper. And waking him up because you've been too loud is something you _never_ want to do, trust me."

"And something tells me you know this from experience?" Hisagi chuckled.

Of course Renji knew from experience. There was never anything quiet about his personality. He chuckled as he recalled previous encounters, "Remember that time when you said I looked like I'd been attacked by a feral cat?"

He nodded slowly, "Yeah, when you were scratched up like crazy?"

Renji flicked his head in Byakuya's direction, "One word: Senbonzakura."

"_No way."_

Renji nodded. "Uh-huh."

Byakuya remembered that morning vividly. It was when he'd first heard about Rukia's 'betrayal' and was torn between respecting his late wife's wishes and following the law. It was one of those '_wrong place at the wrong time_' moments. And Renji just happened to be that person.

"Shit, that's crazy." Hisagi shook his head dramatically. "I honestly think you're a masochist or something. I would've up and left if my captain ever did something like that to me."

Renji rubbed his arm absent-mindedly and looked over at the sleeping figure of Byakuya Kuchiki. "I don't think he does it intentionally, I mean, I don't think he knows how to properly interact with people sometimes. And hell, who isn't cranky when they're abruptly woken up."

Byakuya gulped heavily. Renji's comment wasn't entirely true. He was very much aware of what he was doing; he just happened to let his temper slip just a little too much that day. There was a small but steadily growing part of him that was starting to regret doing what he did that day.

"Wow, that's a strange comment, coming from you." Renji handed Hisagi a small box of headache pills and glass of water. Hisagi popped two out and took them heartily with a large swig. "Homosexuality better not be contagious." He rattled the pill box with a smirk on his face.

"Do we _really_ have to talk about that _every_ _single_ time the topic of Captain Kuchiki comes up?" Renji tried to keep a serious face, but couldn't stop the corner of his mouth twitching up in a quick smirk. "Of course it isn't contagious. But seriously, that's not funny. Quit nagging me about it."

A tiny part of Byakuya wasn't so sure if Renji was right. By the way he was responding to Renji's subtle advances, he could actually describe it as being contagious. He'd never thought about Renji like that before, and he'd once been married too! So what did that make Renji to Byakuya? The feelings he had for him had probably been around for longer than he'd thought.

Hisagi scowled, "I'm sorry, but _urgh_, it just annoys me to no end that we have to keep it so secretive. I mean, you're um... _gay_, so what? It's not like you care what most people thing anyway-"

"-_Wrong_," Renji interjected, "Sure, I don't care about the others, but it's _his_ opinion I care about." He pointed quickly over in Byakuya's direction. "Everything I've worked for would be for naught if he found out through the ears of others - which he most certainly would if you told anyone."

Hisagi paused and stared at Renji as a sombre expression crossed his face, "... You're putting too much thought into this. How can you be so serious about him when your feelings are obviously unrequited? You should either tell him how you really feel, or find yourself another nice girl or... _boy_?-"

Renji threw him a sharp glare.

"- and move on. This little school-boy crush isn't going anywhere, I guarantee it." Hisagi placed a tentative hand on Renji's shoulder, "We don't actually get a kick out of seeing you look miserable, you know."

A soft smile tweaked at the corner of Renji's mouth, "I know." Hisagi had thought about the matter more than he'd originally thought. He knew that Hisagi was just trying to help him, but it was impossible. His feelings for his captain were something that he just couldn't dispel so quickly. Of course he knew it was unrequited – he knew that from the very beginning.

Byakuya sighed as quietly as possible. It was clear to him now that he'd need to be the one to take the initiative and confront Renji about his lieutenant's feelings, and more importantly, his own. Otherwise, he'd miss an opportunity that he'd regret for the rest of his life. Seeing as the current paused between Renji and Hisagi was a perfect time to admit he was actually awake, Byakuya started to lean forwards in a movement to get up from his chair. But suddenly, Hisagi started talking again, forcing Byakuya to pause.

"Though, seeing you confess to Captain Kuchiki would be _very_ interesting. Personally, I'd love to see how he'd take it." Hisagi quietly mimicked the actions to Byakuya releasing his Bankai, followed by a few explosive sound effects.

Renji narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms, his voice thick with sarcasm, "That makes me feel so much better, thank you."

Hisagi shrugged off the glare, "You and I both know that the situation would probably end that way. He used to be married to Rukia's _sister_ for Christ sake. That guy doesn't have a single homosexual bone in his body."

Byakuya didn't think he could stand pretending to be asleep any longer. He had never enjoyed people talking about him so casually, especially on this particular topic. But for Renji's sake, he needed to remain unmoving until there was an opportunity for him to confess his feelings. He would've liked the situation better if Hisagi left. Wasn't he needed anywhere else?

Renji glanced quickly over at the sleeping figure of his captain. "No, he probably doesn't. And I know that if he ever knew about how much I like him, he'd eventually detest me because of it, which is why I'm never going to confess to him ever again."

Byakuya's eyes unintentionally shot open, and he closed them just as fast before anyone noticed.

Hisagi's eyes widened and he let his mouth hang open. "And yet you still harbor feelings for him? You're honestly a lost cause. But you _need_ to figure this out, for everyone's sakes..." He opened the door and with one final glance at Captain Kuchiki, he strode out of the office and closed the door behind him. Only a few seconds later, Renji followed behind him.

Their conversation continued down the hallway and only when he was sure that they were well and truly gone, Byakuya finally unfolded his arms and sighed unevenly in shock. Was Renji _serious_? Did he really think that confessing to his captain was _that_ futile? It was almost irritating that he had such a stern view of his captain. Not that he blamed him - he appeared like that to everyone. Byakuya tilted his head backwards, slowly dragging his hands over his face.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to him and he paused - Just confessing to Renji was taking the easy way out. Renji had said that he wasn't ever going to confess to him again, didn't he? Byakuya's mouth slowly extended into an overconfident smirk. Well, he was going to make him eat those words. He wasn't going to confess his own feelings until he heard those three magic words uttered from Renji's own mouth first.

The clouds outside passed on overhead and the office was bathed in a warm light that made Byakuya's eyes gleam.

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Chapter two! Finally! :D Well this one's a bit longer this time and I thank you for waiting - I got stuck at one point but it's all good now!

Comments and Reviews will be used to give Renji the courage to confess to Byakuya (because he's got a whole lotta taunting & teasing coming his way!)


	3. His Determination

**Promotion to Lover [Chapter 3: His Determination]**

**Pairing: Byakuya Kuchiki x Renji Abarai**

**Rating: M (Not too far now!)**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any Bleach characters (If I did, Renji would be forever SHIRTLESS)**

* * *

A few days and some long periods of serious thinking later, Byakuya was slowly coming to realise that somehow forcing Renji to admit his feelings was a lot easier said than done. Even now as he inconspicuously watched Renji rearranging documents on his shelf, he couldn't help but imagine his plans only resulting in failure.

Byakuya tapped the top left-hand corner of his desk to catch his lieutenant's attention. "Replace all the old files with the new ones and put the old ones on my desk, here. I need to inspect for errors and take them to Captain-Commander Yamamoto by the end of the day. When you've finished, you can resume your other responsibilities."

"Yes, Captain Kuchiki." Renji nodded quickly and placed the first pile of many onto the desk. He watched Byakuya take the first folder off the top of the pile and concentrate on it intensely. It was _extremely_ unlikely that he'd made any errors at all during any of the documentation, but it was the standard procedure for all captains and Byakuya was in every sense of the word a perfectionist.

Renji's prolonged gaze was hard to ignore but Byakuya managed to keep his eyes focused down on his work. Only when he knew that Renji had moved back to the shelf did he permit himself a quick upwards glance.

Byakuya had already decided that he was going to follow his feelings through so now, the main obstacle for him was where to begin. Hearing Renji announce that he was never going to confess his feelings to his captain made trying to convince him otherwise all the more difficult. And there was also the problem of his own all too serious personality to factor in to the equation as well; there was _no way_ that the captain would ever do anything overly expressive and tarnish his reputation, or, at least, for now anyway.

A clatter came from the shelf, pushing Byakuya out from his thoughts. He looked up from his work to see Renji juggling a pile of new folders as he attempted to make room for them. From where Byakuya was, he could see that the pile was threatening to fall from his grasp at any second. Unable to leave the situation alone, he stood up and took the pile out of his lieutenant's hands.

Renji's eyes widened dramatically as Byakuya stood there holding the folders, waiting for him to take the old ones down. He opened his mouth to quickly apologise, "Sorry, I-"

"-They were going to fall. It's demeaning that you can't even complete such a simple task without needing assistance." Byakuya held out a folder as Renji removed the old ones and put them on his desk.

There was a short nod from Renji as he fell silent.

Byakuya caught his lieutenant's eye for a second before the redhead turned away. Only then did he think about how much a harsh comment would hurt from someone you like. The thought softened Byakuya enough for him to add one more comment, "... Your safety is in my hands so if you need help, tell me. That's an order."

Renji blinked in surprise at the comment, before a wide grin spread across his face, "yes, Captain Kuchiki."

The corner of Byakuya's mouth twitched up for a fraction of a second, barely even noticeable to the eye. He decided to stay standing and continually passed the new folders to Renji as he made room for them. The re-shelving was completed in good time and when Byakuya eventually sat back down to scan over the old ones, Renji offered to help.

As the both of them sat down and reviewed the old folders (Byakuya sat behind his desk while Renji sat on the floor in front of it) the atmosphere was pleasant and peaceful, rather than the usual uptight seriousness. Byakuya generally preferred working alone in his office where he was free to think about whatever, but seeing Renji's cheerful disposition, he decided that having company might not be such a bad thing if it was him.

Finally, Renji finished scanning the last folder and placed it neatly on top of the enormous pile. "So, what are we doing now?"

Byakuya carried the pile over to the door which Renji held open for him. "_I'm_ taking this to Lieutenant Chōjirō who will then give it to Captain-Commander Yamamoto. _You_ are to go to the training grounds and wait there for my return."

Renji closed the office door behind him with a confused expression. "Training? Should I tell the rest of the division?"

"No." Byakuya spoke firmly, "Just you and me. I want to see just how much you've improved since _last_ time." He then turned in the direction of the 1st Division and left Renji outside his office.

There was no doubt in Renji's mind that he was talking about their fight back when Rukia was going to get executed. He'd escaped from jail to save Rukia and ran into Byakuya along the way. It was then that his captain first saw his Bankai, _Hihiō Zabimaru_. Of course, Renji didn't win, but there was still the fact that he tried to betray Byakuya. After Aizen's betrayal came to light, Byakuya had obviously forgiven his lieutenant, but it was possible that he still held some sort of grudge against him because of that. Renji gulped.

A while later after Byakuya had taken the old files to the 1st Division's lieutenant and gone back to his office to grab his Zanpakutou, he made his way to the 6th Division's training area where Renji was waiting. Knowing Renji's personality well enough, he would've already warmed himself up with drill exercises. Byakuya was exceedingly curious about Renji's recent improvements after their last battle. Seeing Renji advance enough to perform Bankai was surprising, if not increasing his respect for his lieutenant. It might've been then that the seeds of affection were planted when he heard Renji's proclamation that his one goal was to surpass his captain. And thus the obsession turned into something more, from what Byakuya could assume.

He came upon the training ground and not surprisingly, Renji was standing out in the centre, practicing drill movements. He quickly noticed his captain at the entrance and stopped to recognise his presence.

Byakuya withdrew Senbonzakura from its scabbard slowly, "Get ready, Lieutenant Abarai. I want you to release your Shikai and we'll start from there."

Renji nodded and raised Zabimaru in a fighting stance, but paused as he remembered to take of his shirt. He knew that Byakuya was going to hit him hard to test his progress and although their shirts were designed for easy movement, it was much more comfortable not wearing it. "Captain Kuchiki,"

Byakuya noticed his pause. "... Yes?"

"Am I allowed to take off my shirt? It'd be easier for me to train that way." It seemed strange asking, but it seemed like the respectable thing to do.

Byakuya flicked his hand dismissively. "Whatever."

With the 'OK', Renji swiftly pulled his collar open to reveal more tribal tattoos that trailed down his chest and over his abdomen. He removed his arms from the sleeves and let the material hang down at his hips. The overall sight was insanely seductive.

Byakuya gulped hard and willed his facial expressions into an emotionless mask. Despite the recent changes in feelings, it was common for Renji to take off his shirt when sparring so it didn't bother him as much as it should've. It was easier to withstand because it wasn't as if he'd never done it before... Suddenly, a crazy idea sparked in Byakuya's head. This could be the perfect way to subtly tease Renji's feelings to the surface. He sheathed Senbonzakura back into its scabbard. "Why is it easier for you to train without it?" Byakuya questioned non-chalantly.

A confused expression crossed Renji's face, "Why? Um, because it's more comfortable? Like, you don't need to worry about the material getting in the way."

"Hmm." With that, Byakuya casually started unravelling the silk scarf from around his neck.

Renji's eyes widened as he watched his captain. He had only ever seen him without the scarf on a rare few occasions and seeing the light skin of his neck was enough to make him blush lightly.

Byakuya folded his scarf delicately and moved it away to the side. It was a family heirloom and highly expensive – worth enough to buy ten mansions in Seretei. Even if he was trying to tease his lieutenant, ruining it wasn't an option. There, he took off his Captains white Haori and folded it too.

" ...Captain?" Renji was well aware of what Byakuya was doing. The mental image was too intense to hold back. He couldn't understand why Byakuya was suddenly so unrestrained, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to stop him. He needed to force himself to calm down and relax; If Byakuya happened to turn around and see the look he was giving him, he'd detest him for sure.

Unbeknownst to Renji, Byakuya felt his concentrated gaze the moment he took his scarf off.

Still wearing the same expressionless mask, Byakuya turned back to Renji and decided wether or not to take his shirt off. Renji had thankfully composed himself down to just a slight colouration on his cheeks but he decided to stop. Despite not taking off his shirt, there was still a good amount of his chest being shown that would normally be covered by his scarf. This was enough to tease Renji for now. "Are you ready, Abarai?" Byakuya deliberately didn't add 'lieutenant' onto his name.

Renji frowned noticeably, but not because of the missing title; Byakuya was keeping his shirt on. Was the show over already? Not that there had been much of a show in the first place, but with that questioning about taking shirts off, Renji thought his captain might actually do it. But as he thought about it, Byakuya was still Byakuya even if he did have out-of-character moments. Accepting that he wasn't seeing any more of his captain's skin, the redhead raised Zabimaru back into a fighting stance again. He nodded quickly and braced himself for Byakuya's strikes.

With that nod, Byakuya pulled out Senbonzakura and released his Shikai, "_Scatter, Senbonzakura._" The blade slowly broke apart into thousands of tiny pieces that reflected the light like cherry blossoms. They floated in the air, ready for Byakuya to command.

No matter how many times he saw it, Renji still thought that his captain's Zanpakutou was one of the most beautiful in all of Seretei. When he saw it for the first time, he thought it was strange that a bitter and stoic person like him could have such an effeminate, even _girly_ Shikai. Only when he'd learnt more about Byakuya did he realise that in some immensely _bizarre_ way, it did suit him.

Byakuya suddenly swung his hilt downwards and the thousands of tiny blades shot in Renji's direction. Now was not the time to admire his captains Shikai. "_Howl, Zabimaru_!" Renji ran his hand down his Zanpakutou as spikes shot out along the side of the blade. He swung it forwards through the cherry blossom fragments as his blade stretched out into pieces, held together only by some kind of wiring.

The movement did little more than part the blossoms temporarily before they converged back into a shimmering, pink mass. Renji scowled as it was the one thing he hated about fighting his captain: it was nigh on impossible to throw a direct -let alone successful- blow when Shikai was released.

The pair fought back and forth, exchanging blows with as much force as if they were in an actual battle. Renji always trained like that anyway, but when fighting his captain, he had to be especially careful, because as much as he liked to train intensely, Byakuya was fighting for real.

Byakuya dodged to the side as Renji's blade snaked past him and as he moved, the collar of his shirt moved to the side, showing off his collar bone. Renji's eyes followed the line of his neck down to that point. The skin was so smooth, so unblemished from being covered by a thick silk scarf all the time. Renji wanted to be the one to taint his pure skin with love bites, to be able to inspect him in greater detail and run his hands over his body.

Senbonzakura shot past him again, pulling him out of his daydreaming. The shot missed him entirely and going by the look on his captain's face, it was to wake him up from his trance. As much as Renji liked seeing more of Byakuya's skin, it was seriously hindering his performance. He cursed his perverted mind once more and shook his head back into focus.

Byakuya watched intently as Renji tried to overcome his hypnosis. It pleased him to see that he was trying to concentrate, but there was a small part of him somewhere that enjoyed Renji's reactions.

Byakuya wanted to see how far he'd progressed, didn't he? So Renji thought - why not bring out the big guns? He threw another strike at the blossoms before jumping backwards to make some space.

Byakuya watched the resolve harden in his lieutenant's eyes and knew what he was going to do.

With a swift swing of his arm, Renji's Zanpakutou grew into a huge boned snake, its head outlined with a thick red mane. Renji's arm was covered in a thick reddish fur that moved all the way up to his shoulder, where a skull sat at the top. The huge bone snake coiled around him, ready to strike. "_Hihiō Zabimaru_..."

If Byakuya was more prone to smiling, he would've done so then. He'd seen Renji's Bankai before, but Renji had been desperate to save Rukia and his thoughts weren't focused on the battle before him. This time however, he had all the time in the world to use his Bankai to the best of his ability. The overall image was impressive to say the least. Having put all distractions aside, Renji was poised to strike again, his eyes focused onto the battle before him. Byakuya nodded contently, "Good. I want you to gather all your energy and hit me with the best move you've got. Show me, Abarai. Show me how much you've improved since we last fought." He ended the goad with two fingers motioning him forwards in the universal '_come and have a go if you think you're hard enough'_ hand motion.

Renji grinned, seeing Byakuya attempting to provoke an intense reaction out of his lieutenant. It certainly worked. Concentrating deeply, Renji focused all his reiatsu into his Zanpakutou and brought it up in front of him into a fighting stance. He'd only just perfected this move recently and his captain had yet to see it. "_Hikōtsu Taihō_!"

The great bone snake flew at Byakuya and opened its mouth wide. The bone fragments seared together as energy pulsed through it. The energy forced its way up through the snake and erupted out of its gaping jaws in a monstrous force that shot out in an intense red blast.

Byakuya's eyes widened a fraction before he brought Senbonzakura up in front of him to shield him from the blast. Through the flash of red light, Byakuya even put his arms up in front of him as well as the force pushed heavily against his Zanpakutou.

As the shot passed, Renji wondered if he'd overdone it. He'd figured that his captain was more than capable of defending himself from such a blow, but as the red light cleared, he saw otherwise.

Senbonzakura had been blown away, little blossom pieces floated around him from the hit. His skin was barely cut, if not slightly bruised from the force. His shirt however, was in worse shape, the material barely holding together as hunks of material from his shoulders were falling apart.

If Renji hadn't been salivating before, he certainly was now. He could clearly see down Byakuya's chest and saw the tightened muscles of his lower abdomen. It took every overpowering thought in his mind not to rush over and run his hands over his captain's skin.

After inspecting the damage done by Renji's blast, Byakuya make the mistake of looking upward at his lieutenant. All his focus on their battle came loose and he finally noticed Renji's appearance. His muscles were perfectly toned, glistening with sweat and light grazes from Senbonzakura. His face was set hard with strands of hair that swayed as he breathed heavily. But the look in Renji's eyes caught Byakuya entirely of guard. The unrestrained lust that overflowed from the deepest depths of his eyes made Byakuya's breath quicken. The heated look paired with his uncovered body gave off the most seductive image he had ever seen and to tear his gaze away would be almost impossible.

At some point, Renji slowly came to his senses and noticed Byakuya standing, staring at the redhead with his eyes slightly widened and his mouth hanging agape. It took him all but a split second to realise that he'd been practically _drooling_ at his captain, and with his shirt all torn up, someone like Byakuya could easily put two and two together. In fact, by the way he was staring at him; it looked like he already had.

_Oh shit._ "Um..." Renji struggled to find words to cover up his embarrassment. His role as 6th Division Lieutenant was as good as over.

Byakuya was speechless as to what to say to console the stuttering redhead. He couldn't just admit that he knew all about Renji's crush and that the feeling was mutual, no, he wouldn't believe him. But he couldn't slam his feelings down like he would've before, he just couldn't. The ball was in Renji's court now.

The lieutenant stole another glance at his captain and was surprised to see the absence of a deathly glare that should've been spread across his face right now. This confused him more than anything. If Byakuya _had_ put two and two together –which he should've-, then why wasn't he absolutely furious?

Then, something clicked in his head. He wasn't sure what, but there was just this gut feeling, a hunch that right now, he needed to tell his captain what he felt. His intuition was almost never wrong, but to trust it now would be crazy. Renji almost chuckled at the thought of breaking his promise so early. Only a few days ago had he declared that he would never try and confess again, but for some reason, it felt like now or never.

Renji met Byakuya's eyes with new purpose. Byakuya felt the change and was sincerely astounded. He knew a confession was coming. As much as Byakuya had been striving for it, he never thought that he'd achieve it. The thought spread a warm feeling through his body as he developed a new kind of respect for his lieutenant.

Renji opened his mouth and Byakuya did too, mimicking his movements as he hung onto every word.

Finally, Renji began, "Captain... I..."

* * *

HOT DAMN how's that for a cliffhanger? *shot*

Sorry it took so long guys but I was on a role today so I (finally) finished it. It's late at night, I'm staying awake on sugar and my eyes are getting sore! Plus I need to wake up earlier tomorrow (ohjoy.)

I was thinking about changing the pairing roles from ByaRen, to RenBya. Don't worry, it doesn't change very much at all, plot-wise, but it makes it easier for me to write. If you think that this means that Byakuya's going to be a pushover, then you are mistaken! His stoic personality will stay very much intact I assure you. If you want to comment on my decision, then by all means, feel free to.

Comments and Reviews will be used to tear up Byakuya's shirts more often. I'm sure Renji will _happily_ volunteer to do the tearing ;D (future plot idea? maaaaaybe)


	4. His Abeyance

**Promotion to Lover [Chapter 4: His Abeyance]**

**Pairing: Byakuya Kuchiki x Renji Abarai**

**Rating: M (soooooon enough)**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any Bleach characters (If I did, it would become purely fighting and yaoi)**

**(**DICTIONARY: Abeyance [_uh_**-bey-**_uh_-ns]: -noun: temporary inactivity, cessation, or suspension**)**

* * *

The silence was unbearable. It was almost as if a soundproof barrier had fallen between the captain and his lieutenant, creating a void of never-ending silence. Or at least, it _would've_, if Byakuya's heart hadn't been pounding so loudly in his head.

There was something in his captain's eyes that made Renji open his mouth and finally begin. Fists clenched, he spoke, his voice betraying him and wavering lightly, "Captain... I..." He paused, not even sure where to begin. If he said exactly how he felt right now, the redhead was afraid that he'd spill out every thought in his head in one big incoherent yell. He forced himself to swallow and continue, "I don't know how this happened... and... I'm not sure how you'll take it... but..."

Byakuya was leaning forwards ever so slightly, cursing the constant pulsing in his ears and fearing that he might miss something. His dependency on every word that spilled out of the redhead's mouth was startling. Even as somewhere in the back of his mind was determined not to let him react this way, he just couldn't stop it. The very thought itself was nerve-wracking. All he wanted to hear was three overpowering, controlling, delicate words:

Renji licked his suddenly dry lips, "I... I... Lo-"

"-RENJIIII!" Like a bolt of lightening, Matsumoto's voice pierced through the suspense, shattering the tender scene.

Reflexively, Byakuya instantaneously shut back up into his emotionless visage. He stood tall, shoulders back, with a cold stare that radiated disinterest. But on the inside, Byakuya was _fuming_.

The moment was gone. Renji knew this, Byakuya knew this, and as Renji turned to see Matsumoto running over, it took every single cell in his body not to kill her. This was _exactly_ why he'd vowed not to confess anymore; to have his hopes raised up so high, only to be slammed down into the ground –and heaven forbid for the _second_ time- by an interruption. What aggravated him the most was not that Matsumoto was the one interrupting him, but that fate seemed to have black-carded him every time he tried to confess. Angrily, he let his Zanpakutou collapse back into its sealed form and slid it back into its sheath.

Matsumoto leapt over and pulled him into a strong hug. "Renji, a large group of hollows has been spotted on the outskirts of Seretei and from the report there might even be a Menos Grande. I've been asked to see if you can help out." She finally turned her head towards Byakuya and her eyes widened. She looked back and forth at the pair and pulled Renji forwards. In a low whisper she said, "... Why are you both practically shirtless?" She waggled her eyes at the lieutenant who responded with a frown.

"It's nothing like that, Matsumoto. You interrupted my training. We were _sparring_."

A little '_oh'_ escaped her lips and she turned to Byakuya and bowed. "Please forgive my rudeness, Captain Kuchiki. Renji is needed on a mission."

The thousands of cherry blossoms shrank back into the shape of its sealed form and Byakuya slid it back into its scabbard, ending the training. He nodded to Renji, "You are dismissed."

Renji wasn't sure what to make of Byakuya's current expression. He knew that his expressionless mask could hide a million different emotions, but from the outside, Renji couldn't tell a thing. And that scared him more than anything. He wasn't sure how to react the next time he saw him without knowing his answer. He knew that Byakuya would've figured out his feelings by now, '_so what happens from here?_' Renji thought to himself.

Byakuya watched Renji begin to depart from the training ground and only as they both turned their backs did he finally let his mask slip. An unfamiliar expression crossed his face as he stared at the receding figure of his lieutenant. It was infuriating, simply infuriating. Byakuya knew Renji's mind like the back of his hand and knowing him, it was back to square one. An interruption like that would kill anyone's confidence. The plan was a total failure as far as Byakuya was concerned. A light wind swept over the training grounds, but it chilled him down to the bone.

Just when Byakuya was about to turn back to his belongings, Renji's back turned as he glanced over as his captain. Byakuya's lonely figure stood on the compacted dirt of the training grounds, seeming so desperate and little did he know that his eyebrows had turned up in a pleading expression like a lost puppy. It was obvious that he hadn't wanted the moment to end.

Renji smiled; satisfied that he'd finally gotten a look at what lay behind the stoic shinigami's mask.

Byakuya couldn't believe it when he watched the redhead turn and smile softly at him. Just when he'd thought that all hope was lost, it was apparent that the attempted confession hadn't been as much of a failure as he'd first thought. A stronger gust blew past, but the thought warmed him more than any shirt could.

~xxxxx~

The very second Renji was cleaned up and walking out of the 6th Division Headquarters, Matsumoto turned on him and grabbed the redhead firmly by the shoulders. Her voluptuous chest pressed against him, not that he noticed. "I have never, _ever_ seen Captain Kuchiki without his scarf _or_ his white Haori before – just what exactly_ were _you two doing?"

Renji opened his mouth to interrupt but Matsumoto covered it firmly with her hand.

"-And don't you _dare_ tell me that it was some kind of sparring exercise because that scene looked a whole lot more intimate than just sparring."

Renji pulled her hand off his mouth and scowled, "If you must know, I was trying to confess, _again_, but I got rudely interrupted... _Again._" He raised an eyebrow at her, letting her think about it.

Matsumoto's eyes widened significantly and her mouth hung open as far as it could as it dawned on her. She covered her mouth with her hands, "You tried confessing again? If you'd told me sooner, I would've pulled up a chair and watched the show! "

A nerve twitched below Renji's eye. "Are you _serious_! You stupid, yaoi-crazed fangirl! I was _this close_ to telling him my feelings and you blew the whole fucking thing sky high! I might never get such a chance again!"

Matsumoto laughed heartily, "Oh don't be silly. From what I saw, I don't think Captain Kuchiki looked so against the idea either. And oh my _god_, I don't think you realise just _how_ amazingly good-looking the two of you were back there! All sweaty and fiery and shirtless..." Her voice drifted off, her imagination leading her astray.

Renji ground his teeth together as a vein threatened to burst in his head. "I swear I'm going to _kill_ you, Matsumoto!"

Her laughter continued as she swivelled out of arms reach. "You _will_ get a chance to confess again, and this time, you won't get interrupted."

_But what if it's already too late?_ Renji thought sullenly. He followed Matsumoto in silence as she took him to the 10th Division headquarters. There, he met the familiar faces of Captains Hitsugaya and Soi Fon and the Lieutenants Omaeda and Hisagi. A few other lower rank Shinigami were around along with some of Soi Fon's Covert Ops. Renji happily walked towards Hisagi who was leaning against the wall, looking bored as usual.

Matsumoto threw Renji an all-knowing wink before walking off to hang around her Captain.

Hisagi saw the wink and raised an eyebrow as Renji leaned against the wall beside him. "... What's got her in such a good mood?"

Renji let out a long sigh. "I can't even begin to talk about it, it's that horrible."

Hisagi held his hands up in front of him, "Say no more – It's about Captain Kuchiki isn't it."

Renji nodded. All it ever seemed to be about these days was Captain Kuchiki. Not that he minded, but it was a hell of a lot easier when he just enjoyed being in his captain's presence. Was it so selfish of him to want more? The redhead was still unsure as to how things had changed so suddenly, or how his captain had changed for that matter. Renji frowned in thought, '_Last time I checked, Byakuya never paid much attention to me unless necessary. But recently..._' He thought back to their sparring session and that pleading look Byakuya gave him before he left... He closed his eyes, the image burned into his retinas. It had been so hard not to rush back and hold him in his arms. Such a look on Byakuya's usually blank face was too overpowering for his liking.

"Oi," Hisagi bumped Renji on the shoulder, "we're leaving now." The pair straightened themselves up and began following the others.

Hisagi stretched his hands out above his head as they walked out of Seretei and into the Rukongai. "Why couldn't they get Ikaku and Yumichika to do this? I hate getting dragged out just to fight some hollows."

Renji chuckled at his enthusiasm, or lack thereof. "What are you, a boy scout? Too scared to break your peace treaty and throw a punch?"

Hisagi grinned mischievously, "For you, I can make an exception." He swung at Renji's shoulder, but Renji intercepted it with his hand. Hisagi used his other hand to hit him over the back of the head and laughed victoriously.

"Abarai! Hisagi!" The pair stopped dead in their tracks at the sound of Captain Hitsugaya's firm voice. "Leave your gallivanting for some other time. We've had reports that there might be a Menos Grande, so I want you both to be on high alert."

"Yes, Captain." Renji let Hisagi go, who sent him one more smirk before they continued to follow the others. The group made their way through the Rukongai district and Renji couldn't help but look at all the faces of the people they passed. He could still remember what it was like to have nothing, having to steal food every day to make ends meet, running from those you stole, being the bottom of the bottom. Growing up in the 78th District did that to you. Though, that was where he met Rukia, and she changed his life so it couldn't have been all bad.

The group continued walking past the Rukongai and finally making it out to where grass fields overran the terrain and thick forests bordered the sides. From the reports, this was where the last hollows had been seen. Renji hoped to god that there weren't any Menos Grandes to deal with.

"Listen up!" Soi Fon stood in the middle, he voice loud and clear, "We'll split up to cover as much ground as possible. I don't want a single hollow left alive, especially a Menos Grande. If you run into one, don't play hero, find either me or Captain Hitsugaya at once. Now go!"

Everyone jumped off and split into different directions. Renji and Hisagi gave each other a quick nod before going separate ways. Renji cautiously moved into the borderline trees, a common hiding place for hollows. Suddenly, a familiar sound reverberated behind him and the redhead swivelled to see a smaller hollow bounding towards him. Its teeth gnashed voraciously and Renji jumped back just in time as it crashed into a tree.

Chunks of wood sprayed everywhere and before the hollow had time to turn around, Renji leaped up and swung his sword over the hollows mask. With a little extra force, the blade cut through its head and with a scream, the hollow disintegrated into nothing.

On alert, Renji scanned the trees around him, seeing no signs of any another hollows. Even in the shadows, the only movement was from the pull of the wind. There was little sound either. Forests in Soul Society were always quiet, not like the ones in the real world. The silence was overwhelming, but it helped when Renji was trying to listen out for a sneaking hollow or the calls of the other Shinigami. The sun was slowly disappearing and darkness started to creep in.

The shriek of a dying hollow echoed in the distance. Renji searched through the trees and occasionally came upon more hollows. The numbers were larger than he originally thought, many had spread out through the area but going from the distant sounds, the team was doing a great job of eradicating them. Renji suddenly asked himself why he was there. The other divisions there were doing fine on their own. And strangely, why had they called Renji to join them and not his captain? Vivid images of their prior fight flashed through his head.

After letting himself indulge in thinking about Byakuya for a little while longer, he pushed away the thoughts entirely and followed the trail of another hollow. The last thing he needed was a distraction. He soon came upon a smaller one climbing up onto a large boulder. With a swift swing of his blade, Renji sliced through its head and watched it disappear.

Without warning, the ground beneath Renji's feet began to shake. He reflexively looked around and to his astonishment, the night air seemed to glitch as the starry sky broke open and the face of a Menos Grande poked its ghastly head out of the hole.

Renji gulped hard. They hadn't been kidding when they said that there was a chance that a Menos might show up. But of all places, it just _had_ to be where Renji was. Now was a good time to bring out some better moves. "_Howl, Zabimaru!"_ His blade snaked out like usual, the sections reflecting the moonlight.

"Renji!" For the second time today, Renji heard Matsumoto yell out his name. Out of the shadows she came running with Captain Hitsugaya right behind her. She came to a halt beside the redhead, her eyes widening. "I knew I heard something big."

"You've got that right." Renji chuckled worriedly. He hadn't faced off with a Menos in ages, let alone seen one. No one could make any guesses on what Aizen was playing around with up there but he had a bad feeling that a Menos Grande might no longer be the worst of it.

Captain Hitsugaya flew past, having already released his Bankai and shot up at the Menos, his magnificent ice wings taking him there swiftly. He swung his blade and a huge ice dragon collided with the giant hollow. Ice crept up its side and momentarily paralysed its arm. This did very little as seconds later, the ice cracked and the Menos was once again on the move.

Fatigue tugged at Renji and for a second, the world spun around him. _Shit._ His fight with Byakuya earlier had drained most of his energy when he'd used his Bankai. He knew he wouldn't last much longer. Renji turned to Matsumoto, "Hey, we'll play decoy so the captain can get a better shot, alright?"

She nodded sternly and unleashed her Shikai, _"Growl, Haineko_!" Her Zanpakutou fell apart like dust on the wind. The particles whipped around and with a strong swing, it shot out at the Menos Grande.

Renji ground his teeth together and swung Zabimaru out at the Menos's arms that were trying to grab Captain Hitsugaya as he darted around in the air. The blade wrapped around it and he tugged down hard, pulling its arm out of reach of the flying captain.

The Menos turned its head at the pair of the ground and howled an ear-shattering shriek. Both lieutenants flinched at the noise. Taking its chance, the Menos pulled its arm back from Zabimaru's grip.

Renji didn't have any time to react before he was jerked up off the ground.

"No! _Renji_!" Matsumoto cried as Renji was pulled up off the ground and right into the path of the Menos's other arm as it came swinging at the lieutenant. At the worst possible moment, Renji's energy was draining and draining fast. All he could do was pull Zabimaru back to him and hold it in front to shield the incoming blow.

But before the Menos's arm could hit him, a strong hand grabbed him by the shoulder and the world blurred again as Renji's saviour used Shunpo to escape the scene.

"Captain Kuchiki!" Hitsugaya yelled from high above. "So finally you arrive!"

Renji could barely believe his eyes as Byakuya pushed him down into a sitting position on the ground. His captain stared down at him with emotionless eyes before turning to face the Menos Grande. "I apologise for the delay. _Scatter, Senbonzakura._"

Thousands of Cherry blossoms suddenly filled the air around him as he joined the fight with Hitsugaya. As the both of them fought, it was immediately obvious to Renji why they were captains. Their combined speed and ability was very quickly becoming a problem for the Menos Grande.

Hitsugaya would halt it with thick coats of ice and shatter its frozen flesh. Byakuya's tiny blossoms cut it as if they were thousands of bullets firing from all sides. Strike after strike, even Matsumoto removed herself from the fray to avoid getting caught in the crossfire. She tended to Renji and the pair stared up at their captains, slowly remembering why they respected them so.

Finally, Matsumoto spoke in a hushed voice, "... I can understand why you love him."

Renji's mouth hung open for a moment, but changed into a soft smile. "Yeah." His gaze never left Byakuya as he swerved around the Menos, cherry blossoms obeying every hand movement. "If you knew him like I do, it's not hard to."

Matsumoto turned towards the redhead. In the dark, his eyes reflected every bit of light shining down from the battle above. Without even looking, she heard the final long shriek of the Menos Grande and watched the colours fade from Renji's eyes as the captains sheathed their Zanpakutou. With a smile, she removed herself from Renji's side to tend to any injuries her own captain might have. As Hitsugaya had landed further away, her figure dissapeared into the darkness. Renji was alone.

The forest was once again silent as the sounds of fighting had vanished entirely. The others must've eradicated all the other hollows.

As Byakuya walked back over to the sitting redhead, Renji was suddenly unable to meet his eye, even though he wouldn't have seen much in the darkness. It was his own fault that he had no energy left and he felt ashamed that Byakuya needed to come to his aid. "I'm sorry, Captain Kuchiki. It will never happen again."

Renji blinked in confusion when Byakuya got onto his knees and grabbed Renji's head in his hands. He sighed heavily, "It's fine." Closing his eyes, he leaned forwards and rested his forehead against Renji's own. It was because of their earlier fight that Renji was so drained and when he finally came to his senses on the training grounds, he rushed over as quickly as he could.

Renji's eyes widened, but he stayed still, letting his captain put his head against his. The soft touch of his hands on the side of his face put the lieutenant at ease. A light blush tinted Renji's cheeks, "A-about earlier today, when I was interrupted, um..."

"-It's alright, Renji." Byakuya stood and extended his hand out towards him.

_Renji. _The lieutenant's mouth slowly fell open as Byakuya's stoic mask fell away from his face, his mouth stretching out into a loving smile.

"Your feelings reached me."

The sound of Renji's heartbeat thundered in his chest as he reached up and took hold of Byakuya's outstretched hand.

* * *

See? No cliffhanger this time (I was almost scared for my life)

The reason this took so long was because of a few reasons: 1. assignments, 2. I was bed-ridden with a mutated flu/virus (FUN), 3. my keyboard died just as I was making the finishing touches

Yup. Someone up there doesn't like me. Though I have to say I liked the ending of this chapter. And please don't hate Matsumoto because of this! Sure, she can be annoying, but she's funny and I just love the relationship between her and her captain! (Anyone know any good Hitsugaya pairings?)

*Cue intense drum roll!* Both characters feelings have been brought to the surface! What happens next? What are they going to do? _When_ are they going to do it? WHO KNOWS. Keep up to date and find out :D

Comments and reviews will be used to push Renji and Byakuya's heads just that liiiiittle bit closer... (and maybe also their bodies *winkwink*)


	5. His Submission

**Promotion to Lover [Chapter 5: His Submission]**

**Pairing: Byakuya Kuchiki x Renji Abarai**

**Rating: M **

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any Bleach characters (If I did, I would destroy all of Renji's hair-ties. he's sexy without them)**

**WARNING: YAOI CONTENT (a.k.a. Man-on-man action) so if you don't like that kind of thing, I'm just pre-warning you now.**

* * *

"_It's alright, Renji. Your feelings reached me."_

Renji awoke with a start, his breathing irregular. As he quickly glanced around him, it took him a moment to realise that he was in a recovery ward. It was momentarily startling to find that he was shirtless, but after quickly raising the sheets, he was thankful to see that his hakama was still present. When he shifted himself upright against the wall, a few muscles protested slightly, but otherwise he was physically fine. His energy levels however, were still feeling a bit low. It occurred to him that they probably needed a little bit longer than 24 hours to fully alleviate. Renji mentally kicked himself when he thought about how much energy he'd wasted on his training, and _then_ trying to fight off a Menos Grande. Sometimes he could really understand where his captain was coming from when he told him he was incompetent.

"_It's alright, Renji. Your feelings reached me." _

Byakuya's words echoed through Renji's head in a continuous loop. The way the moonlight had framed his captain's silhouette as he'd put his hands on the side of his lieutenant's head was an image that he'd never forget.

As he put his arms up behind his head, he couldn't help but grin stupidly. He was still waiting to wake up from this amazing dream. Resigning himself to an unrequited love was all he thought he could do, but from the way Byakuya was acting recently, he had new hope that this just might actually work.

The door to the recovery ward suddenly creaked open and Hanatarō's head appeared from the side of the frame before walking in. A few seconds later, Renji was surprised to see Byakuya appear behind the boy, stepping silently into the room. Their eyes met and everything seemed to pause.

Byakuya was the first to break eye contact when he turned to Hanatar ō, "Is he cleared for release yet?"

"He should be," Hanatarō remarked and turned to the redhead, "How're you feeling, Lieutenant Abarai?"

"Much better, actually," He cracked his neck loudly and stretched his arms to emphasise his point. Renji was eager to get out of the white-wash room. He tossed back the covering sheet and nearly stepped up off the bed but Hanatarō's clipboard blocked his way.

"You look perfectly fine, but the medicine we gave you when you were sleeping has a few possible side effects that you might want to know about. There is a slight off chance that you might experience light-headedness, drowsiness, emotional fluctuations or momentary disorientation so I recommend you refrain from any strenuous activity. In fact, getting back to your own quarters for more rest would help a lot."

Renji didn't bother hiding his grimace. "So no matter where I am, I'm confined to a bed? Great." The idea wasn't at all appealing.

"Getting back to full health should be your top priority," Byakuya spoke firmly. He didn't meet Renji's eye, but rather stared at the wall above his head. "Ailment will only excuse your tardiness for so long."

The lieutenant was used to his captain's unyielding visage, but for some reason, this time it felt a little colder than usual. It was almost as if he was trying to avoid showing any sort of positive emotion. He acted like that anyway, but the overly-deliberate feel about it was obvious to Renji. He watched Byakuya intently, trying to find something betraying his real feelings, but like usual, he was closed tighter than a steel-trap. It left a bitter taste in Renji's mouth.

Hanatarō sensed a strange awkwardness between the pair. The only reason he could think of for the behaviour was because of what happened to Renji during the hollow hunt. He didn't want their discomfort to continue for too long and thought up, what he believed to be, a perfect solution, "Captain Kuchiki," he said brightly, "If you have the time, could you escort Lieutenant Abarai back to his quarters? I don't think it's safe for him to go alone, just in case."

Both of them turned sharply to look at the small 4th Division Shinigami. It took another second before Byakuya hesitantly replied, "If I must."

Renji took the comment as an order to leave and stood up from the bed. His eyebrows raised a fraction when Byakuya's line of sight flitted over towards the window and away from what was directly in front of him. Like Renji's shirtless body for example.

Renji couldn't help but feel the slightest bit flattered by the gesture as Byakuya and Hanatarō left the room to let him change into a fresh uniform.

Not long after, Hanatarō signed Renji out and Byakuya led him out of the division. The pair fell into their usual sync with Renji standing to the side of his captain, one step behind him the whole time. Despite it being the norm, the quiet that surrounded the pair was slowly becoming unbearable for the redhead. He wanted to say something, anything to get a conversation flowing, but just he couldn't think of what to say. He wanted to ask about Byakuya's feelings, but he had a hunch that he wouldn't get such a straight-forward answer as he would've hoped. Discomfort seemed to hang in the air between them like a thick mist.

Unbeknownst to Renji, Byakuya was feeling the same. The feelings he'd shown to his lieutenant after killing the Menos Grande were as true now as they were back then. When he'd gone back to him and he'd realised how much danger Renji had put himself in, his body seemed to move on it's own as he put his hand onto the sides of his lieutenant's face. One further slip in his self control and he just might've gone a step further than placing his forehead on the other Shinigami's. He was more annoyed at himself than anything for letting himself slip.

Out of the corner of his eye, Byakuya watched Renji trail behind him ever so slightly. They always walked like that, but seeing the taller Shinigami follow behind him didn't make him feel any better. Captain and Lieutenant was a tough relationship to surpass. Refusing himself to so much as glance at Renji, he stepped to the side and slowed his pace to match Renji's own.

It took a second for Renji to realise that Byakuya had moved to stand directly beside him. He watched his captain intently and searched for any signs of emotion. He found it when he noticed that his captain was holding himself rigidly, more so than usual, something he did on the rare occasion that he was embarrassed. Renji was overcome with the urge to reach out and grab Byakuya's arm. It took more willpower than he thought it would to cull the tempting thoughts that swept through his mind. As more and more barriers between them were slowly disappearing, Renji wasn't sure how long his composure would last before he reached out and grabbed him. But at this moment, he was content on waiting.

If other Shinigami they passed noticed any change from the usual, they didn't say anything. Renji was appreciating finally being considered, in some part, equal to his captain. Even if he hadn't a personal love for Byakuya, walking side by side still held significant meaning for the redhead.

With his curiosity getting the better of him, Byakuya finally let himself steal a quick glance at Renji. The corner of his mouth twitched up for a moment when he saw the proud expression on his face. Sometimes, Byakuya decided that his actions spoke louder than any of his heartfelt words ever could.

The trip back to the 6th Division ended too quickly for Renji's liking. Before he knew it, they'd stepped into the sleeping quarter's section of the building and passing the rows of empty beds, they came upon Renji's personal lieutenant's room. Each division had two larger rooms for its division members to sleep in, separated into boys and girls, but also had two extra rooms for their captain and lieutenant. Seeing as he mainly resided in the Kuchiki mansion, Byakuya used his captains sleeping quarters for extra storage. Renji however, used his room to the best of his ability and genuinely appreciated the separate room and the privacy it entailed.

Renji's room had very little space, but only because of the large shelves and cupboard that stored his belongings and clothing took up most of it. Even though there was little space, an unnecessarily large Shiki futon mattress lay in the furthest corner, just below a window that looked out onto a small square of trees. The sheets on the futon were spread messily as if Renji had just gotten up out of them.

Byakuya swept his gaze quickly over the room. Aside from the futon, the room was much neater than he would've expected from his tardy lieutenant. He glanced at the futon and could just see Renji sleeping there, with the sheets sprawled over his body, his breathing slow and steady. The thought made him turn back towards the door, "My assistance is no longer needed. Your duties will be momentarily suspended for now so I advise you get back to sleep immediately."

The words came as a shock to Renji. He didn't want his captain to leave. Almost subconsciously, he reached out his hand and blocked Byakuya's exit. The flicker of surprise that passed over his captain's face prompted him to speak his mind, "I've tried to tell you how I think of you in the past, but both times I've been interrupted before I had the chance to finish. And I know you told me yesterday that you understand how I feel, but I want to tell you myself." Renji looked right into Byakuya's eyes, "I don't know when, and I certainly don't know how, but after getting to know you better, I-I've come to realise that I'm in love with you."

Byakuya didn't know what to do with himself. He couldn't even name the light and fluttery feeling that was slowly spreading through his body and the evident blush that made itself known on his cheeks. He was only vaguely aware that he'd been backed up against the wall and that Renji was closing the door. At some point when he'd heard the door click shut, some of his senses returned to him, just enough so that he could frown accusingly at his lieutenant, "Why did you shut the door?"

"Because you would've surely disappeared from my sight if I hadn't." Renji faced Byakuya, closing the gap between them by putting his arm up against the wall above him. All his earlier urges to touch him seemed to float back up to the surface of his mind. He'd said what he'd wanted to say, and now, he had a right mind to do what he'd wanted to do for ages.

Seeing Renji take the offensive was something that Byakuya never would've thought that he'd see so suddenly. His actions were confusing. He suddenly thought back to what Hanatarō told them in the recovery room, _'...you might experience light-headedness, drowsiness, emotional fluctuations_...' Byakuya frowned. 'Emotional fluctuations' was quite the understatement. Or did Renji's want for his captain run deeper than even Byakuya would've imagined?

Renji's face was much closer than before. He unconsciously ran his tongue over his lips. Byakuya moved back onto the wall as far as he could, "Abarai, don't-"

Renji mumbled a quick 'sorry' and without warning, the redhead's lips met Byakuya's own. Byakuya's surprise lasted only a second before his natural reflexes kicked in and he raised his hand to strike his lieutenant. The blow never reached its target as Renji's hand gripped his wrist and to Byakuya's shock, held it up against the wall above him.

Renji broke the kiss and stared down at him, "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that."

"And _you_ have no idea how much you're going to suffer for -_mmn_!" Renji's lips were back against his, but this time with a new confidence. When the redhead's tongue drew across his lower lip, Byakuya's resistance faltered.

Renji took advantage of the pause to get a better taste of his captain. A smirk played at the corner of his mouth when he heard a faint moan escape from Byakuya. It was slowly becoming a recent obsession of his to see the real Byakuya hidden underneath all those layers of emotional armour. So such a sound coming from him was arousing to say the least.

Byakuya stiffened the moment the noise escaped him. It was entirely involuntary. He placed his other hand firmly on Renji's chest and pushed him back by a few inches. "I... I..." Byakuya was at a loss at what to say. He himself couldn't exactly describe what he was thinking at that moment. He looked down at the floor. He should've been delighted that he'd finally heard Renji's feelings spoken aloud, but why...

"I'm not going to hurt you."

Byakuya's head shot up to meet Renji's eye. "What did you just say?"

Renji's forehead gently touched Byakuya's own. His voice was unwavering, "I said, I'm not going to hurt you."

Byakuya let the words sink in and slowly, he removed his hand from his lieutenant's shirt. His words had somehow calmed him. "Fool," he muttered to himself, "as if you could hurt me."

Renji let out a low chuckle that reverberated in his chest. He ran his finger leisurely up the middle Byakuya's chest and curled it around the hem of his scarf. With a delicate pull, the scarf unravelled to hang off Byakuya's shoulders to once again reveal his neck. Renji planted soft kisses down the side of Byakuya's cheek until he reached his collarbone where he nipped at the soft skin. "I couldn't hurt you if I tried." His hot breath caressed his neck, "I wan you too much to do such a thing."

Byakuya bit his lip to stop another moan from escaping his lips. The attention given to his neck was having a profound effect on the rest of his body. His breathing was becoming shallow and hormonal responses were rushing to all the right areas.

Renji's teeth bit delicately at his upper shoulder, quick pricks of pain followed by his tongue running soothingly over the mark. He savoured every patch of skin, drinking in the sight of his captain like an alcoholic in a liquor store. He could feel his captain's body shiver beneath him with every touch.

Despite Byakuya's non-spoken consent to continue, his hand was still held firmly against the wall above by Renji's strong grip. In between breaths, Byakuya managed to raise his voice enough for the other to hear, "...I want my hand back."

Renji paused to look directly into Byakuya's eyes, "Nope." His brown eyes were smouldering devilishly. Renji looked his captain up and down. The sight of his hair falling all over his face and his eye's half-closed with delirium made Renji reach out and tug the limp scarf right off his captain and throw it behind him. He ran his hand back down Byakuya's chest, grazing lightly over his nipple and down to the tie of his hakama. Renji's eyes seemed to gleam when he noticed how taut the material over his crotch was.

With Renji's hands headed south, Byakuya shuddered as he felt a tug at the tie of his hakama. Grinning mischievously, Renji's hand stroked teasingly over the front of the material. Byakuya's breath hitched dramatically at the touch and his free hand quickly covered his mouth before any more embarrassing sounds escaped him. He threw Renji a '_stop-messing-around'_ look.

Renji nodded, and made short work of the hakama tie. Byakuya's hakama slid slowly to the floor to reveal his throbbing arousal. The sudden exposure turned Byakuya's cheeks pink with embarrassment under Renji's intense stare.

The redhead's hand moved across the inside of Byakuya's leg and stroked along the underside of the erection. He smiled with satisfaction when the other man's hips bucked involuntarily. He wrapped his hand around the arousal and slowly started to pump his hand.

The effect on Byakuya was immediate. "_Ah!-Mmnh_!" His knees were threatening to give out and he clenched his hand tighter over his mouth as more sounds escaped from him. All he could do was muffle the moans as Renji's hand caressed him. Every touch from him sent blissful shudders up his back.

It was so seductive, watching Byakuya writhe beneath him. Renji's own breath was starting to become shallow. He brought his face back close to Byakuya's and pressed his lips to the back of Byakuya's covering hand, wanting him to move it so his own mouth could replace it. He could see that Byakuya desperately wanted to suppress the provocative sounds he was making, and of course, Renji wanted to help.

Through his delirium, Byakuya got the hint and removed his hand as Renji's mouth quickly dominated his own. The kiss became more passionate as their tongues brushed aggressively over one another and Renji paired it with his hand movements becoming more vigorous by the second. Renji's mouth worked like a charm and mulled over Byakuya's loud groan as he reached his peak. "_Mmmnh_!" Arching his back, Byakuya's climax spilled out into Renji's hand. He fought to catch his breath, letting the wave of rapture pass through him.

Slowly, Renji freed Byakuya's arm from the wall but continued to hold onto his wrist in case the other man collapsed. He pulled back from the kiss to get a better look at the usually stoic Shinigami. He'd always imagined what it would've been like to hold Byakuya, but his imagination didn't even compare to the real thing. Byakuya's chest heaved up and down as his breathing slowly calmed down. His eyes never left Renji's face, they were glazed over from the high, but he never attempted to mask them over or hide them. Another solid barrier between them had come crashing down. But Renji wanted to make sure it stayed that way. And after their prior 'activities', Renji was undeniably, utterly hard.

"We're not done yet." Renji murmured softly into Byakuya's ear. With one long sweeping movement, he tipped the other Shinigami into his arms and picked him up. The motion shifted the material of Renji's hakama and his breathing came out shakily. "To the bed?"

Byakuya gazed up at his carrier. The corner of Renji's mouth tweaked up in a crooked smile. His strong arms held him tight. The redhead's hunger was laid out for Byakuya to see in the depths of his eyes. Even though he knew that Renji's medicine might be lending a hand in his thought processes, Byakuya realised that he didn't want this to end yet. This feeling wasn't something he'd felt in a long time and he was eager to embrace it again, even if it did go against his usual self. He looked down, blushing as his long black hair fell over his face. He nodded once and Renji turned slowly towards the unnecessarily large futon bed.

* * *

Yikes. This took forever to write. Haha, first time I've ever written something like this so gimme some slack here

So sorry for the lateness, there are just too many reasons and not enough room to describe them all. ALSO, if you happen to also read my other Fanfiction, 'All for the Money, Honey', just letting you know it won't get updated until the next week at the earliest. I seem to have ... misplaced a few files. (a.k.a. I lost my USB- but I know where it is though! Never fear!)

As you know so far, I am one who had used interruptions a few times before so will they get interrupted before they go all the way? You'll just have to wait to find out (bwahaha)

All comments and reviews will be used to sway my thoughts on them getting interrupted or not, because i can write it both ways X3. The final decision is up to YOU. (No pressure.)


	6. His Afterglow

**Pairing: Byakuya Kuchiki x Renji Abarai**

**Rating: M **

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any Bleach characters (If I did, I would pair everyone up! :D)**

**WARNING: YAOI CONTENT (a.k.a. Man-on-man action) so if it's not your thing, you are fully capable of exiting this page**

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It was much easier to see how obnoxiously large Renji's futon was when Byakuya was laid down onto it. The sheets weren't silky and new like the ones on his bed, but Byakuya didn't care in the slightest. In fact, the scruffy texture of the sheets suited Renji to a T.

Renji disappeared from Byakuya's side momentarily to hastily close the window blinds just in case a poor unfortunate Shinigami happened to pass by. The light dimmed but enough rays made it through the blinds so that the pair could still clearly see. Renji moved quickly, lest Byakuya came to whatever senses he had left and vanished in a puff of air. He felt the tiniest twinge of guilt, knowing that he was playing his captain's current weakness to his advantage, but his slowly hardening erection dismissed the feeling.

During this interval, Byakuya, being the sensible man he was, used the time to take off his Haori, fingerless-gloves and the kenseikans in his hair. He knew that even though the expensive scarf could be replaced, a captain's Haori on the other hand, could not. And he would refuse outright to explain how it got dirty if it did.

Byakuya's prior high was slowly making its descent. And with that, his head was slowly starting to clear. And judging by the speed of Renji's movements, the redhead wanted to stop that at all costs. But he needn't worry, Byakuya wasn't going anywhere. He was going to follow this through no matter what. The time for denial was over. He slid his shirt off his shoulders and leaned to the side to place his bundle of clothes onto the floor beside the bed. He had to reach as far as he could to drop his clothes onto the floor – the bed was so ridiculously large. Behind him, Renji let out a low wolf-whistle.

Quickly noticing the lewd position he appeared to be in, Byakuya abruptly turned towards the smirking redhead and threw him a scowl. He couldn't stop himself before the words left his mouth, "I could have you demoted for that, Abarai. Even in here, I'm still your Captain."

The sudden seriousness in Byakuya's voice would've usually made Renji back off, but in this situation, it was all he could do not to laugh. Trying to act stern, especially with position he was currently in made him look absolutely ridiculous. He could barely keep the mockery out of his voice as he moved back to his bed, "I'm very sorry, _Captain_. Should I ask for permission next time I want to admire you?"

Byakuya's cheeks flushed slightly and he looked away. When he looked back at Renji, he just began to register that he was leaning right over him from the side of the bed. Looks like escaping would be hard even if he'd wanted to.

Renji looked over Byakuya's body. Damn, what a sight. Without the kenseikans, his black hair fell oh-so-seductively down his shoulders and Renji let his line of sight trail all the way down. It took every ounce of his remaining strength not to pounce on him right there.

Byakuya noticed the looks and couldn't help but blush just a little more. "Say one more word and you _will _be demoted."

Renji grinned seductively and began to pull his shirt from his shoulders. He let the material fall and began working on his hakama. Byakuya wasn't sure where to look but his eyes stuck to only one place when his hakama fell to the floor to reveal an impressive arousal. The ebony tribal tattoos that he had always wanted to take a better look at worked their way down and over the taunt muscles of his abs and stopped a few centimetres below the waistline. With every breath they pulsed and curved with the utmost fascination. Byakuya was inevitably hard again. His breathing was starting to quicken once more and his usual rational Byakuya-like thoughts were being entirely ignored.

The look in Renji's eyes left no doubt about what he wanted to do to the raven-head as he climbed onto the bed too slowly for Byakuya's liking, "Even if I'm demoted as your Lieutenant, this looks much more like a _promotion_," A husky edge made its way into Renji's voice as he leaned over him with his arms holding himself above Byakuya, "Wouldn't you say so... _Byakuya_?"

Byakuya's eyed widened. Hearing his own name roll off Renji's tongue sent all too pleasurable shivers up the Captain's spine. "Again." His voice wavered despite trying to say it firmly.

Renji chuckled, a low rumble of a sound that send Goosebumps up Byakuya's body.. _So like him_, Renji thought, _even in the middle of something like this, he still has enough arrogance to order me around._ Even thought he knew full-well that it was an order, he just couldn't resist the opportunity to make Byakuya shiver like that again, "... _Byakuya_."

It was very surprising when Byakuya pulled himself up and his arms found their way around Renji's neck, holding on tight. He spoke a bit softer, his eyes not being able to meet Renji's and a deep blush spread across his features, "Again..." This time it was not an order, but a request.

Renji couldn't help but blush as well at the softness in his tone. Byakuya was letting his facade slide away and to Renji, He'd never looked cuter. Renji thanked all the gods he could think of for giving him the chance to see such an expression on Byakuya's face. He lowered his body onto Byakuya's.

Byakuya fought back a shiver as the heat of Renji's body pressed against his and their hardened members pushed up against each other. The thrill of the sensation made him tighten his arms around Renji's neck which brought their faces closer and closer together.

Everything else was forgotten as Renji's eyes focused on Byakuya's lips, "_Bya... Ku...Ya_."

Unable to take the tension any longer, Byakuya did the most un-Byakuya like and crossed those last few centimetres to bring their lips together hungrily. Once more, Renji's tongue politely brushed over his lower lip and Byakuya couldn't have opened his mouth faster to let him in.

They let their tongues roam and explore each others mouths, occasionally having to break for oxygen before they passed out. All their combined restraint from past days was let loose as their mouths moulded together and they stayed lip-locked just for the sake of tasting each other.

Renji moved his hand slowly down Byakuya's side and cupped the centre of his back to hold his body as close as possible. This action brought their lower abdomens closer together and Renji fought back a groan as their erections rubbed against each other. Without the interruptions of clothing, skin rubbed against skin, arousing him to a level that Renji hadn't thought was possible.

Byakuya moved his arms up and with some quick searching he found the tie holding up Renji's hair. Without even thinking about it, he pulled it clean off and let it go. Renji felt the hair tie being removed and removed himself from Byakuya's lips to give his head a loose shake.

As Renji's red hair fell down over his face, Byakuya's eyes widened considerably. He'd never seen Renji's hair untied before and it was such a raw and untamed look that it could've potentially steamed the black right out of Byakuya's hair. He felt his face heat up into a vibrant blush.

A smirk played across Renji's face and he planted butterfly kisses up Byakuya's neck before returning back to his awaiting mouth.

One of Byakuya's hands was on his back and the other was buried at the back of Renji's head, gripping to the luscious waves of red hair.

With more freedom for arm movement, Renji brought his hand up Byakuya's thigh, pushing it up so he had better access to what was in between. He then drew his hand up the inside along the soft part of the skin of Byakuya's thigh and let his thumb scrape against the side of his captain's groin.

"_Hn ah_!" Byakuya gasped; music to Renji's ears.

Renji's erection refused to be ignored any longer. He wanted to be inside Byakuya so badly. He hadn't any lubrication around but they were coated in a glistening sheen of sweat and their erections were already beginning to leak. He hoped that that was enough. He breathed heavily into Byakuya's ear, "This might be a little tricky."

Byakuya's only response was to grip onto Renji's body tighter. As far as the redhead was concerned, it meant 'yes'. Renji positioned himself properly and slowly inserted himself into Byakuya.

Byakuya bit his lip as pain shot up his back. He'd known that it would hurt and tried to withstand it. He let out a gasp as Renji kept on drawing him in closer until Byakuya had taken him in entirely. The pain was an unnerving interruption, but knowing what was inside him made it all the more sensual.

Renji looked at Byakuya and could see his features contorted slightly with the pain. He only hoped that the worst of it would wear off soon. His lips grazed down to Byakuya's shoulder and he bit into it.

Byakuya gasped again at the new and interesting pain at the base of his neck. It distracted him from his other pain and helped him overcome it. After a few seconds, he hugged Renji tighter for a moment to tell him that he was ready for him to start moving.

Not having much prior knowledge on the topic, Byakuya wasn't sure what to expect, but whatever he thought was nothing to compare to how it actually felt. When Renji started moving his hips, slowly at first, the pain seemed to be overridden with pleasure. "_Ah!"_ He couldn't help it as sounds escaped his mouth. He arched his back, giving Renji more room to move. One of his hands flew off Renji to hold onto the bed sheets as they started to speed up. His toes curled tightly under the pleasure.

His grip threatened to tear the sheets in two as the pleasure kept on rising higher as he grunted and moaned. Renji's own hand upon Byakuya's leg was holding onto him fiercely as the rhythm they were moving at was strong enough to rock him to his core. Renji sucked and licked at Byakuya's shoulder just to get a few more moans out of him.

Byakuya was quickly reaching his peak and he could tell that Renji was getting that way as well. With tentative touches, Renji stroked Byakuya's erection to the timing of his hips moving.

"_Uhn-Renji!"_ Byakuya called out as a tremor shook through his body and he climaxed.

Renji grunted into Byakuya's shoulder and pulling him close, rode out his own wave of rapture and ejaculated.

The pair lay unmoving, catching their breaths and blinking the starts out of their vision. Byakuya looked up at Renji and feeling as exhausted as Renji looked, he held his lieutenant's face in his hands and kissed him lightly on the lips.

Renji smiled into the kiss and with some shuffling, he pulled out of Byakuya and flopped down onto the mattress with a soft '_whump.'_ There they lay for a while in a warm silence, neither needing to speak to the other. Knowing that Byakuya would have trouble getting up, Renji made it his duty to get up, saunter over to his cupboard and pull out two towels.

Even though Byakuya's eyes wore closed, when Renji threw one of the towels his way, his arm shot out skilfully and caught it. He watched Renji sit back onto the bed with his own and following his example, he spent the next few minutes wiping himself down until he thought he was of a satisfactory cleanness. He then lay back down and closed his eyes.

After a while, he could feel Renji's hands slide around his waist and try to pull him into an embrace. Well, Byakuya was having none of that. He frowned and slapped Renji's hand away. He'd done enough embarrassing things for today, thank you very much. He wriggled just out of Renji's range and stayed there.

There was a low chuckle from behind him but Byakuya ignored it.

Absentmindedly, he passed a hand over the shoulder that Renji had latched himself onto. It stung a little bit where he had broken the skin, but it was a pleasurable kind of sting. Byakuya didn't like how it would leave a tell-tale red mark later because he would no doubt blush at least once.

Byakuya suddenly realised the significance of the bite. It was supposed to distract him from the initial pain of Renji entering him. When he felt his cheeks starting to burn, his frown deepened. Renji was too kind to him. Byakuya had come out of battles in far worse shape and he'd survived without a single complaint. His mind looped back to Renji's earlier promise...

"_I'm not going to hurt you."_

Now Byakuya's cheeks felt like they were on fire.

From the sound of Renji's breathing, he had already fallen asleep. Carefully and quietly, Byakuya shuffled backwards until he could feel the tip of Renji's still outstretched hand touch his back. He grabbed it and pulled it over onto the side of his hip. His pride refused that he would do any more than that, lest his face actually caught on fire from all his blushing.

~xxxxx~

Renji's eyes finally managed to prise themselves open what seemed like hours later. The dimness in his room could only mean that he'd fallen asleep and it was now some hour during late afternoon. Renji and Byakuya had been romping around in bed and it wasn't even dark yet. The usual sounds of Seretei resonated outside but his room was quiet and peaceful.

He could barely summon the energy required to sit upright, but he did somehow turn himself over onto his back. The first thing that was glaringly obvious was the absence of a certain Shinigami. Peering over to the left, Byakuya was nowhere to be seen. His neatly folded clothes were gone and if Renji could've been bothered to move, he would've seen that Byakuya's scarf and hakama were also missing from the floor. "Must've left." Renji spoke aloud to no one in particular.

The little knot of worry in his stomach disappeared. Renji would've never been able to forgive himself if they'd gotten caught. Consensual or not, the pair of them would've never been looked at the same again if someone had walked in on them while they were sleeping. With Byakuya gone, Renji could rest a little easier knowing that that scenario wasn't going to happen. So why did he feel just a little sad?

It was because he could barely believe that Byakuya, his Captain had been in his room, been in his bed, been in his arms as he loved him as much as he could. He knew they'd had sex, which was plainly obvious from the state of his sheets and the towels at the corner of his bed, but he still had a hard time processing it as anything more than a fantasy.

Little bit by bit, the rest of the world came back to the redhead. There was now one question that plagued on his mind that he didn't really want to answer just yet; how on earth should he face his captain tomorrow? Byakuya couldn't walk around acting like it never happened, could he? Renji didn't think so. Byakuya could be exceedingly cold sometimes (and he should know, he often received the worst of it) but he had hope that this time it would be different. Probably. Maybe.

Finally summoning the energy from god knows where to sit up, Renji suddenly wondered how long ago Byakuya had left. Surely it wouldn't have been long ago if he'd planned to use the slowly lowering sun to his advantage. He would've had to have moved quickly and entirely unseen. Renji smacked his hand over his mouth to stop himself from laughing at the mental image of Byakuya sneaking back to the Kuchiki household looking frazzled and reeking of sex. Now he wished he hadn't fallen asleep.

When his fit of quietened laughter was finally subdued, he rounded up all the pillows on his bed and threw them up in the air with a victorious yell. They came right back down and lightly pummelled his body. The laughter was back as he rolled over onto his stomach, thinking about earlier and not believing his luck. Renji Abarai has successfully bedded the stoic, narcissistic Captain Byakuya Kuchiki and better yet, he had made him _moan_. The applause was going to come any second now. "Fuck worrying," He said with a chuckle, "fuck being afraid of tomorrow." Renji was more than happy to remain ignorant for now and grin stupidly into his pillows.

~xxxxx~

Over in the 4th Division, Hanatarō was still bustling around with patient information and medicines for Captain Unohana. He scurried down the hospital's hallway, and passed the room that Renji had been in much earlier that day. He paused for a second and bit his lip, _I wonder if Lieutenant Abarai and Captain Kuchiki are on good terms again..._

* * *

Oh Hanatarō, if only you knew how much they'd gotten closer because of your earlier comment haha

I love Hanatarō. He stumbles over himself all the time and I just want to jump into my computer screen and hug him!

My holiday was great, but it's also good to get back home. And yay! Holidays! Hope you enjoyed this supposedly sexy chapter.

Comments and Reviews will be used to give Byakuya a heat pack for his soon-to-be-hurting back.


	7. His Concern

**Promotion to Lover: [Chapter 7: His Concern]**

**Pairing: Byakuya Kuchiki x Renji Abarai**

**Rating: M **

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any Bleach characters (If I did, there would be Byakuya fanservice)**

* * *

Byakuya reached out for the doorknob and just as his fingers were about to touch it, he faltered. He'd just arrived at his office the next morning and had deliberately pushed all personal thoughts out of his head on the long walk from the Kuchiki Household to the 6th Division but predictably, they'd all come hurdling back once he arrived at his office door.

Immediately one question stuck out in Byakuya's mind; what if Renji was behind this door? How would he face him? Should he deny everything? Should he ignore his Lieutenant? The pause seemed to lengthen with his arm still outstretched for the doorhandle but just not quite reaching it.

But maybe Renji _wasn't_ in his office and now Byakuya was just over-thinking things and looking fairly stupid and out of character because he was staring impassively at a door. It would look strange to anyone who knew the Captain if they saw him idling around outside his office.

But what to do about this door? Byakuya certainly wasn't prepared to talk to Renji yet if he was behind it but he wouldn't find out if he was until he opened the door. Decisions, decisions. And not long after he'd had this lengthy debate in his head did he wonder why all this mattered so much in the first place? He'd never given something so trivial so much consideration since he was a child.

_A child_, Byakuya frowned ever so slightly, _that was one way to put it._ He exhaled sharply and became cool and collected once more. Enough of this foolishness. Quickly and surely, he reached those last few centimetres to the doorhandle and opened his office door, swinging it wide.

The room was, predictably, empty. Byakuya pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed loudly. He felt ridiculous; of course Renji wasn't going to be in yet. If the redhead Lieutenant could barely clock in on time on a _regular_ day, then he certainly wouldn't be prompt after yesterday afternoon's activities. Not forgetting that Renji had also just been discharged from the recovery ward as well. Byakuya made a mental note that if Renji wasn't in by lunchtime, to go down to the sleeping quarters and make sure that his Lieutenant was still alive.

The anxiety that Byakuya had built up disappeared immediately but when he flopped down into his chair, a quick stab of pain crept up his spine and made him twitch uncomfortably. It was a constant reminder of yesterday and the events that followed. Although it made sitting very uncomfortable, Byakuya refused to let it hinder him. He was a _Captain_, one who had faced pain much more extreme than his current condition. He hid his tenderness behind his mask of indifference.

Now that he was seated as comfortably as currently possible, a never-quite-empty pile of documents demanded the Captain's attention. One of the worst things about being the head of a division was dealing with the absurd amounts of paperwork that would almost spontaneously appear on his desk. But being the diligent man he was, Byakuya had become very skilled at spending tedious days in his office with nothing to do but scribble endlessly on paper. So with the quiet absence of his Lieutenant, he worked through the paperwork at a productive pace.

A few hours later, he reached over to grab another document and was surprised when the tips of his fingers brushed against his desk – he was down to his last document. Byakuya's spirits were instantaneously lifted and he permitted himself a quick smile. He rarely ever finished all of his paperwork in one sitting, most of the time because of his Lieutenant; Renji was as disruptive as a bored teenager. Rather than scolding him for being tardy, maybe Byakuya should start encouraging him to sleep in. It was a win-win situation really.

Byakuya finally looked at his last document. "Hm," He mumbled quietly when he saw that the document was about Renji. It was a summary of his stay in the Recovery Ward; nothing too interesting to note other than what medicine he was given and a full medical report on his injuries. The report was short, just mentioning a few cuts and bruising here and there and his dramatically low reiatsu levels.

Actually, while Byakuya was thinking of Renji, he couldn't help but wonder where his Lieutenant was. It was nearing lunchtime and the captain was getting a bit out of character by being worried. He'd only been joking about Renji being dead.

He fought the urge to go and check on his lieutenant. It was high time that he showed some kind of restraint. He would never pay more attention than necessary to those around him before, so why start now? _Although_, Byakuya thought, _Renji is different_. He frowned, unsure what exactly to do anymore. He was years out of practice for these things and had his underling so easily softened him up in such a short period of time? Mental chit-chat and duties aside - yes.

Byakuya's usual stubbornness waved its white flag in surrender as the captain signed that last piece of paper and placed it neatly on the top of his 'completed' pile. It was time to go check on Renji. The stoic Shinigami stood and another wave of soreness made him pause. He bit his lip in an attempt to mask the pain. Ignoring it once more, Byakuya straightened himself up and continued out of his office. The trip to Renji's quarters didn't take very long but Byakuya couldn't help but look around at his surroundings; it wasn't a route that the Captain would normally take and it was nice for a change.

For the second time today, Byakuya found himself standing in front of closed door, but this time, he was almost one hundred percent sure that Renji lay somewhere behind it. The understanding didn't make him feel any less nervous. Doors seemed to be disagreeing with Byakuya a lot today.

"Abarai!" Byakuya called sternly and knocked on the door. When there was no answer, he knocked again, but with the same unresponsive result. As a last resort, he opened Renji's door and walked slowly into the darkened room. The blinds were untouched and warm daylight filtered through, almost pointing accusingly at the sprawled, sleeping figure of Renji. Byakuya's subordinate was dead to the world.

It was only the second time that Byakuya had to go out of his way to forcibly wake Renji himself. The first time had been within the first week of Renji's promotion to 6th Division Lieutenant and after a late night of celebrating, had slept in til way past midday. Byakuya remembered entering his quarters quietly and without warning, he put his hand under the base of Renji's futon and flipped the entire frame onto itself. It certainly had the desired effect; Renji never slept in that late ever again. Until now.

As Byakuya moved around to the side of Renji's bed, he watched as his subordinate fidgeted in his sleep. With a light groan, he rolled over onto his other side and the bed sheet covering him slid a little. Byakuya quickly turned his gaze to the roof – Renji was naked.

It took mere milliseconds before the Byakuya's brain reminded him that this wasn't the first time seeing him exposed. He also remembered just how closely their bodies had been pressed up against each other and how many times he'd moaned and groaned because of it. His temperature seemed to rise up a few degrees at the thought.

Byakuya was on the bottom, the '_uke'_, so to speak. The realisation came to him surely enough when he'd finally gotten back to the Kuchiki Household unseen and had taken a look at himself in the mirror. He had his scarf slung over his arm when he paused at the mirror, thus his neck awfully exposed every single red soon-to-be hickey along his neckline, especially the large one at his collarbone where Renji had actually pierced the skin. Renji had practically stamped his ownership mark all over his captain. And how he'd looked was mild in comparison to how he felt with stabbing back pain and a general soreness further down that he would never verbally admit to.

He wasn't used to being anything other than a dominant figure, so being the 'submissive' role hadn't gone down well with Byakuya. But the obvious fact that he still had to come to terms with was that he _had_ enjoyed sleeping with Renji, submissiveness aside. He hadn't entirely sat down and thought about the bedroom dynamics of a homosexual relationship, but Byakuya had been swept into the flow of events and what had happened, well, _happened._ Now he was struck with a sudden internal battle – Submission, or rejection.

Renji grumbled once more in his sleep and Byakuya decided it was time to wake up the redhead. A small part of him wanted to childishly exact some kind of payback against his current physical pain. The corner of his mouth tweaked up a fraction as he thought of the perfect method. As quietly as possible, Byakuya slid his hand between Renji's futon and bed frame and swiftly lifted the futon up by a metre.

"Wha_-AH!_" Renji had opened his eyes groggily as the bed began to tilt and tumbled violently onto the floor with a yell of surprise. He lifted himself up from a tangled mass of limbs and bed sheets, "Just what the _fuck_ are yo-..." The rest of the sentence was forgotten when Renji's eyes connected with Byakuya's.

It looked like the redhead was trying to say something, but his mouth hung agape uselessly and the words never developed past surprised sounds. The last thing Renji had expected to see when he woke up was his captain. For a moment, he thought that Byakuya was on a social visit, but when he noticed him holding up the corner of his futon, Renji instantaneously realised that he had overslept.

Renji couldn't help but smirk inwardly. He had learnt his lesson well the last time he woke up with his entire bed pressing down on top of him. Being rolled off onto the floor was a mild wakeup call in comparison. This observation shouldn't have made Renji feel so satisfied, but it did.

"I don't remember you being this happy to see me _last_ time you woke up on the floor." Byakuya said non-chalantly.

"Well last time you weren't nearly as hospitable. I remember flinching every time you raised your hand for the next week," Renji chuckled.

If Byakuya could recall correctly, Renji _had_ been overly skittish for a while after the incident, not that the Captain had payed it a lot of attention at the time. For the umpteenth time, Byakuya couldn't help but notice how much he'd changed between then and now. The reminder wasn't always wanted. Still slightly bitter about his current personal situation, he cleared his throat, "When you're done reminiscing, make yourself presentable and meet me back in my office. Please refrain from mentioning yesterdays events." The harsh words tumbled out of his mouth unconsciously, but as soon as he realised what he had said, it was already too late.

Renji couldn't help it; his mouth fell open in surprise. Was his Captain really going to pretend that yesterday never happened? He did nothing to stop Byakuya from backing out of his room and when the raven-haired Shinigami shut the door with a soft _click_, he dropped his head down onto his bed. "This can't be true..." He grumbled into the futon.

As if something clicked inside the redhead, he suddenly sat up. There was no way that Renji was going to let their relationship fade back to nothing. With a new determination, he picked himself up off the floor and rushed around to get ready.

Back in Byakuya's office, the captain had just walked back through the door with a frown. He mentally kicked himself for acting the way he did in Renji's room. As untrue as they were, the words had just spilled out of his mouth before he could even think. Byakuya groaned with frustration and smacked his hands onto his desk. "You fool," he spoke aloud to himself, "Thinking you could change decades of cold emotions hard-wired into your brain. Now you've managed to effortlessly screw this up."

With a loud _BANG!, _the office door swung open behind him. Byakuya swivelled around to see Renji panting in the doorway. His hair was messy and his hakama was scruffy, almost as if he'd tried to catch up to Byakuya when he'd left. Still standing frozen with surprise, Byakuya watched as Renji firmly closed the door behind him and quickly covered the ground between them to stop inches away from his face.

Renji grabbed his captain firmly by the arms, "I know I pushed the limit yesterday and I know it's too late to take it all back, but I also know _you_. If you'd been that against sleeping with me, you would have never let it happen in the first place. I'm only going to ask this once and I want to know the truth," Renji looked Byakuya straight in the eye, "Do you love me the way I love you?"

Seconds passed by, but with no response. Byakuya frantically tried to get his head around what to say in return without again saying the wrong thing unintentionally. His secret happiness that his accidental outburst hadn't done any damage made Byakuya turn away his gaze before he started blushing. Deciding that actions spoke louder than words, he reached out and grasped Renji's hand, still refusing to make eye-contact. Though it didn't stop him from speak his mind; "Next time we engage in those kinds of... _activities_, some extra warning would be preferable." Byakuya refused to be so rear-tender and downright uncomfortable ever again.

Renji closed his eyes and sighed heavily. _Next time. If that isn't a 'yes' then I don't know what is,_ he thought, tightening his grip on Byakuya's hand. He chuckled lightly, "Would it kill you to tell me what you think every once and a while?"

"I can't say those kinds of things as easily as you can." Byakuya said bluntly.

Renji smiled softly, "You can't or you _won't_?"

Byakuya brought Renji's hand up and pressed it to his lips. "Both," he muttered quietly.

"I suppose we'll need to work on that, won't we." Renji felt the warmth from his lips and just let his captain lovingly hold his hand in silence, wishing that he would never let go.

Byakuya could almost feel Renji's satisfaction passing through his Lieutenant's hand and into him, and although his facial expression never changed, on the inside, he was absolutely glowing.

The pair remained unmoving for as long as time would allow them, which wasn't as long as they would've wanted but it still left a lingering warmth when they finally let go of each other's hands. Byakuya's mouth turned up for a fraction of a second as his earlier feelings of unease lifted, but pushing the feelings to the back of his brain, he exhaled sharply and the emotional mask was back in place and locked on tight.

Renji saw the change in his stance and couldn't help but sigh; Byakuya was back in Captain Mode.

"If we're even going to attempt to make this work without the extent of our relationship being discovered, we need to set some ground rules. Do I make myself clear, Abarai?"

"Crystal clear." _And we're back to 'Abarai' _again, Renji thought moodily, but quickly sobered up because he knew that Byakuya was truly serious, and this was a topic that needed to be addressed. "The last thing we want is attention, so I promise I won't tell anyone unless it's absolutely necessary."

Byakuya nodded, "But even then, think twice. The other thing we need to worry about is people discovering accidentally, so that means no rough play or suspicious activity that could result in potentially getting discovered."

"I'm sorry but I can't agree to that." Renji stated bluntly. Even thought Byakuya was his superior, Renji wanted him to know that he still had a say in things. And after having waited so long to get this close to him only to have to keep him at arms distance again, there was no way that the redhead could ever agree to such a condition. "If I can't touch you, I'd go insane after a week. I'll say 'fuck the rules' and drag you back into my room and have my way with you." In his right mind, Renji would never challenge or threaten Byakuya like that, but of all people, Byakuya certainly knew that if pushed to the edge, Renji's self-control becomes non-existent.

Byakuya took a step towards the lieutenant, "I want this to work as much as you do, but if we don't form some kind of restraint, we might as well hand in our badges now. But this isn't as bad as you think. We're both intelligent enough to sort out our own problems, and besides, if we're careful enough, I can't see why we can't push the limits a little."

Renji wasn't sure if it was a trick of the eye or something distorting his vision, but he swore that he saw, as quickly as lightening, Byakuya wink at him. Renji couldn't escape the hot feeling that went straight to his groin from such a seductive action. So without caring if the wink was an illusion or not, he grabbed him by the Hakama and pulled him into a quick steamy kiss.

There was a second of surprise from the captain, but his resistance quickly caved as he wrapped his arms around Renji's neck. After a minute or so, the pair finally broke apart for some much needed oxygen. Panting lightly, Renji watched the melted look disappear from Byakuya's eyes and his mask clicked naturally back into place. "Now that you've gotten that out of your system, you have some jobs to do. There is completed paperwork that needs to be taken to Captain-Commander Yamamoto."

Renji let go of his hakama and absentmindedly thought that Byakuya might've wanted that kiss just as much as he had. "Yes, Captain." He responded.

"And a sparring session would do you good after your reiatsu levels being useless for so long," Byakuya said as he straightened out his hakama and moved back behind his desk.

"Yes, Captain."

He looked up at the Lieutenant and his brows furrowed slightly, "... And wipe that stupid smirk off your face."

"Yes, Captain." Renji couldn't if he tried.

* * *

Oh Renji, you adorable Shinigami you. You must have a real shitty poker face. Not to mention you're a bit of a confessive drunk. (Renji =/= hidding emotions)

Well! you have no idea how long it took me to be happy with this chapter. I changed it around so many times! But now I am quite happy with the way that it is going. Sticking true to their personalities can be hard, but I think i did well :)

Hope you're enjoying this series so far! And thank you for reading!

Comments and reviews will be used to buy a lock for Byakuya's office door. Unmentionable office shenanigans will ensue ;D


	8. His Balance

**Promotion to Lover: [Chapter 8: His Balance]**

**Pairing: Byakuya Kuchiki x Renji Abarai**

**Rating: M **

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any Bleach characters (If I did, there would be Byakuya fanservice)**

* * *

Once again, life was simple. The early-morning weather was calm, the office was quiet and for the first time in what felt like ages, Byakuya was completely at ease. It had easily been a couple of months since he'd had such a serene attitude, but now as Byakuya took in the ambience, it felt like it was only yesterday.

But _oh_, how things had dramatically changed within that space of time – after accidentally overhearing a love confession from his lieutenant, dormant feelings inside Byakuya seemed to stir that eventually enveloped the pair in a turbulent emotional storm. When the skies finally cleared, Byakuya and Renji emerged as something that neither could've predicted; they had become lovers.

Sure, there was still a long road ahead for the pair, but for now, Byakuya was more than happy to just sit in the serenity of his office without a care in the world. He glanced over to the right of his desk where a pile of paperwork had spontaneously gathered over the past days. The captain had ignored it since he'd sat down earlier in the morning and he decided that it wouldn't do any harm to ignore it for a little while longer.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Byakuya's interests quickly turned to who was on the other side. But before he could discern who it was merely from their reiatsu, a female voice spoke up. "... May I come in, Captain?"

"You may enter."

The door opened slowly to reveal Mihane Shirogane, the 9th Seated Officer, a young girl with eyeglasses and brown hair that was cut into a short bob. Her father was Byakuya's Lieutenant before Renji took over the position and after the man retired, he opened a glasses store with her. Every now and again she would appear with offerings of free sunglasses from her father who was still devoted to the 6th Division Captain.

Mihane adjusted her square-frame glasses and slowly entered the office. "Captain Kuchiki, I was passing by the 4th Division and Captain Unohana asked me to tell you that all the captains are due for a medical check-up. She has you booked down for an appointment tomorrow, but if they change the time, someone will come to tell you."

Byakuya nodded, "Thank you for relaying the message, Shirogane."

"Actually, while I'm here, dad told me to give you these," Mihane dug deep into her pockets and pulled out a couple of pairs of sunglasses. Byakuya was expecting this and despite appreciating the gifts, he wasn't much of a sunglasses person. Mihane could tell that the captain was a little reluctant and smiled meekly, "I know you don't really want them, but please accept them. My father still talks very highly of you. -"

Byakuya remembered the man well. He was a respectable and obeyed every order that was given to him. Times had been much different with Mihane's father as his lieutenant.

"- And if you still don't want them, I know that Lieutenant Abarai would definitely take them." Mihane turned her head to look around Byakuya's office, "In fact, where _is_ Lieutenant Abarai?"

"He's gathering information in the real world from the substitute Shinigami and Urahara. I believe he arrives back at some point today."

Mihane grinned, "Really? If it's okay with you, Captain Kuchiki, can Lieutenant Abarai train with us later on? And it would be fantastic if you could come too."

Byakuya nodded, "If Abarai and I have time to spare then I can't see why not."

"Thank you so much, Captain!" The 9th Seat bowed and practically ran from Byakuya's office, obviously in haste to tell the others that they might all train together later. It always amazed Byakuya that even though he was undoubtedly strict, the 6th Division was still so loyal. He picked up one of the pairs of sunglasses that Mihane had left and inspected it in his hands. It was made with the utmost care and Renji would definitely enjoy another addition to his ever-growing collection. Renji loved any sunglasses that came from the Shirogane glasses store.

The lieutenant had been away for just under a week and Byakuya did admit to himself that everything was so much more different when Renji wasn't around, but that didn't stop him from making the most of it. Though just like Mihane had been, he was secretly a little bit excited that Renji was supposed to be returning today. Byakuya looked once more at his pile of paperwork and decided that it was time to get started on it.

At around about quarter past 1 and as Byakuya was halfway through the ninth document on his desk, Renji returned.

Upon hearing unnecessarily loud footsteps down the division's hallway followed by equally loud laughter, Byakuya smiled despite himself. But his joy was quickly covered as Renji entered the office with Hisagi right behind him. They were loudly discussing the strange things in the human world that Ichigo had shown Renji.

Byakuya stood up behind his desk as Renji bowed deeply, "Captain Kuchiki, I've returned from my mission and the information has been assembled in a report for you."

"Good work, Abarai." Byakuya accepted the document and placed it on the now short pile.

Hisagi turned to Renji, "I think it's time to get back to the 9th division. I'll come back later so we can talk more about this 'coffee' drink." He bowed to Byakuya and left the office much quieter than he arrived.

After the door closed behind Hisagi and when Renji was very sure that his friend was out of earshot, he sighed heavily, "Oh god, it's great to be back. It was hectic in the human world. And they have the weirdest drinks there."

"I don't care what you got up to, as long as your report is thorough."

Renji turned his attentions wholeheartedly to Byakuya with a big grin on his face, "So does that mean I have to mention how much I missed you these last few days?"

"Of course not. But yes, it is good to have you bac-_uk!_" Byakuya was cut short as Renji moved around his desk and enveloped him in a bone-crushing hug. "Renji!" The captain gasped.

Renji ignored him and chuckled under his breath, "It's crazy how much I missed you call me by my first name."

Byakuya freed himself from the redhead's embrace by jabbing him hard in the ribs, making Renji pull back wincing. If there was one thing that he still hadn't perfected yet, it was curbing Renji's constant displays of affection. "There's a time and a place for such actions, _Abarai_. Now is not the right time and my office most certainly isn't the right place."

Renji pouted, "But you're _always_ in your office."

Byakuya gave a tug at the material of his captain's Haori, "I'm a Captain; it's part of the job description." Although he didn't want to say it, he knew that Renji needed to hear it, "And no matter how close we get, we can't forget the fact that I am your captain and you are my lieutenant."

"I know." Renji replied bitterly, "I remember it every single day." Their personal and working relationships would almost always remain mutually exclusive. And Renji wasn't stupid enough to want to forfeit his lieutenancy for Byakuya; he thoroughly enjoyed his position as the 6th Division Lieutenant. But knowing this didn't help make him feel any better about it.

Byakuya slowly sat back down on his chair, all the while never taking his eyes off Renji. It was cruel of him to think that Renji didn't understand. But what the redhead still couldn't come to grips with was that sometimes the job did have to come first. Or was Byakuya just too much of a workaholic? But no matter what, he wanted Renji to cheer up from saddened mood, even if it meant telling him a little white lie. "I can't promise anything, but if we have some spare time, we could _maybe_ spend some alone time together."

A grin was back on Renji's face, "Really?"

"Yes, but_ only_ if we have time to spare," Byakuya pointed his finger at him.

Renji could barely contain himself. They barely had the time to be alone since they first slept together. Sometimes Renji would doubt his captain's feelings, but right now, he couldn't be more assured.

_It's like looking after a puppy,_ Byakuya thought to himself with a quick twitch of a smile. "Calm down, Abarai. I need you to find Mihane Shirogane and tell her that the training area is free."

"Yes, Captain Kuchiki." Renji bowed –still smiling– and left Byakuya's office to find her. Everything seemed to be a little brighter as he walked down the corridors towards the 6th Division's quarters. When Renji was sent away on the mission in the Human World, he was afraid that Byakuya would clear his head and realise what they were doing was against the rules. But maybe he was just being too paranoid.

After asking around to a few of the other Shinigami, Renji eventually found Mihane. She was seated inside the equipment room, busily cleaning her Zanpakutou. When she noticed Renji's presence, she put it down and stood up with glee. "Lieutenant Abarai! You're back!"

Renji smiled, "Yeah, I got back around lunchtime. Captain Kuchiki told me to tell you that the training grounds are free." When her face broke out into a wide grin, Renji was curious. "Are you doing some special training today?"

Mihane blinked at the Lieutenant, "Oh? Didn't Captain Kuchiki tell you? I asked him earlier if you two had any spare time then maybe you could come to a training session with the rest of the division. I'm so glad you can; I can't wait!"

The warm feelings inside Renji suddenly turned cold. If Byakuya already knew that they didn't have any spare time on their hands, then why did he tell him that they might be able to spend it alone together? Why would he do such a thing?

"... Lieutenant Abarai? Are you okay?" Mihane asked cautiously.

Renji shook his head clear. "Huh? No, I'm fine. A training session sounds like fun. Once you've finished cleaning your Zanpakutou, could you please go and tell the others?"

"Of course! But are you _sure_ you're okay?"

Renji waved his hand dismissively, "I'm sure. And one more thing, because the Captain's got a fair bit of paperwork, we might be a tad bit late. You're fine to start without us." He smiled briefly and exited the equipment room.

It would be an understatement to say that Renji was pissed off as he practically stomped down the main corridor of the 6th Division. He knows that Byakuya is usually a hard-arse when it comes to anything that requires showing emotion – he even finds it adorable sometimes – and he knows that he sometimes oversteps the boundaries, but he's not a child. Being falsely led on was not something that the redhead appreciated. Was Byakuya even taking their relationship seriously?

He slowed to a stop, bumped his head against the wall and let out a sigh. _Calm the fuck down_. Byakuya probably only led him on to cheer him up a little. But it still wasn't the right thing to do. After standing with his head against the wall for about a minute, Renji continued down the hall (not stomping this time) and back into his Captain's office.

Byakuya was going through the report that Renji had given him when the redhead marched back through his door. "Did you fine Mihane Shirogane?"

Renji frowned, "Oh, you bet I did. She told me that we're all going to have a training session during the free time we were _supposedly_ going to spend alone together with. You knew that we wouldn't have any free time to begin with – you lied to me."

"I did."

Renji was utterly taken aback by such a forthright answer. "Could you at least pretend that you feel even he _slightest _bit guilty for deceiving me?"

"It did lighten your mood though, didn't it?" Byakuya responded with his usual lack of emotion.

Renji frowned, "That's not the point!" He was slowly having trouble trying to keep his temper in check. "The way I'm being treated, I'm not even sure if we _are_ lovers!"

Byakuya stood up from his chair. "Keep your voice down! We're working. And right now, we should be heading in the direction of the training grounds."

Thinking that it was time to drop the conversation, Byakuya walked around his desk and towards the door, but as he passed Renji, the redhead grabbed his captain's arm, "So that means you've finished with the paperwork?"

"Yes, and?"

Renji stepped in front of Byakuya. There was maybe a few inches of space between the two of them. "Well the way I see it, as your supposed lover and having been away from your side for the past week, I think I'm entitled to some alone time with you." He took a meaningful step forwards.

Byakuya in turn, took a step back to keep the space between them. He raised a curious eyebrow, "Oh, really?"

"Yes, really. And any spare time we get –like now for example– should be spent together, just the two of us." Renji took another step forwards, his intentions very quickly becoming clear.

Byakuya mirrored him again and took another step back. Renji's expression was already starting to take on a mischievous angle, something that Byakuya wasn't sure he'd be able to defend himself from for very long. "I've already told the 4th Seat that we're to participate in a training session."

This time, Renji took a longer step forwards so that their bodies were centimetres away from touching. He smiled playfully, "Don't worry, I told her that we'd be late."

Byakuya began to take one more step back, but he bumped into the front of his desk. Now there was no more room to move back so basically, nowhere to escape from Renji's advancing.

Before Byakuya could even think of moving, the lieutenant suddenly smacked his hands out flat on the desk either side of him. Renji could help but feel some kind of accomplishment. He had his captain right where he wanted him. He didn't want to use such forceful methods, but if that's what it took to get under Byakuya's mask of indifference, then so be it. In fact, if Renji wasn't mistaken, he could already begin to see his mask starting to slip.

While trying to remain emotionless, Byakuya made the mistake of meeting Renji's gaze. The redhead's brown eyes had become intensely focused and showed no signs of backing off. Byakuya's eyebrow twitched with annoyance at this new development, "This is my _office_ and I will restrain you if I must, Abarai."

Renji smirked, his eyes now on the verge of smouldering, practically pinning Byakuya to the desk. "Go ahead," he leaned in and whispered seductively into his captain's ear, "... _Byakuya."_

Forget the emotional mask; it was Byakuya's internal restraint that began to fray as an involuntary shiver ran up his neck. Whether he liked it or not, his heart rate began to increase; the sensation feeling all too familiar to one he experienced as he was pressed up against the wall of Renji's bedroom. A week's worth of pent up energy that Byakuya didn't even know he had was suddenly pleading to be used.

Renji could almost sense the change in Byakuya and his smirk widened. Every second he stopped his captain from fighting back would slowly crumble any resistance that he was likely to encounter. But pent up energy wasn't one sided, Renji had also been starved of Byakuya for the past week as well and it was getting harder to keep thinking straight. Wanting to get another reaction out of the captain, Renji lightly brushed his lips over the softer skin below Byakuya's jaw line.

Whatever resistance Byakuya had left he happily let disappear but as he did, cooler air brushed over him as Renji suddenly took a long step back away from the desk. Byakuya was very much confused.

Renji donned an expression of mock-surprise, "I just suddenly remembered; you have that rule about no playing around in your office, and as your lieutenant, I must obey every order you give me. That is, unless you order me to continue..." They both knew that what Renji was saying was to get back at Byakuya for treating him badly earlier. Byakuya was certainly past the point of no return so he was stuck with the choice of admitting defeat and ordering Renji to continue or having to deal with being riled up with tension all day. It was a very risky move which could potentially go either way, but Renji was willing to bet that it would go in his favour.

Even with his blood pumping furiously around his body, Byakuya wasn't about to admit defeat. He mentally congratulated his lieutenant on managing to get back at him for earlier, but he still hadn't learnt that Byakuya Kuchiki was not one to mess with. He straightened up his hakama, "It's very admirable of you to follow your captain's orders so well, so I shall be lenient in this particular situation. So my order is that you must continue, but only of your own volition – you are free to leave if you choose to."

And with those last few comments, the ball was back in Renji's park. The redhead suddenly shook his head and chuckled under his breath. _Fine, you win._ Renji gave it his best shot but still lost, and to be honest, he no longer cared; this was the Byakuya that he knew and loved. "Yes, Captain."

Renji moved forwards quickly and in one sweeping move, he hoisted Byakuya up to sit on the edge of the desk and hungrily claimed his mouth. The contact broke into their energy stores and the pair let loose with a flurry of strong kisses and short breaths. Byakuya wrapped his legs around Renji and the redhead responded by running his hand up through the hair at the back of his captain's head. The both of them were so focused on each other that they barely heard the office door close.

The pair instantly pulled back, eyes darting to the door. Byakuya reached out to sense any lingering reiatsu but whoever had been at the door had quickly disappeared.

"Oh, shit," Renji hissed quietly. "Who do you think that was?"

Byakuya scowled. "I... I don't know. They were gone before I could find out." Renji moved back so that he could slide down off of the desk. The once sexual atmosphere had now been replaced by a strong sense of dread. Their secret was out and they didn't even know who had caught them.

Renji pinched the bridge of his nose, "This is really bad."

* * *

Renji = captain obvious.

Deary me and just when things were starting to get good! (I don't think they'll be getting up to any shenanigans in Byakuys'a office any time soon.) But who could the person who walked in on the pair be? Gah, I hope Byakuya and Renji don't get into too much trouble!

Hello all, I hope you enjoyed this update. Life's been hectic (when isn't it really) but I managed to power through writing this chapter just because I enjoyed it so much. Anyway, thanks for reading!

Comments and reviews will be used to help find whoever caught the pair as quickly as possible before they can cause any damage!


	9. His Paranoia

**Promotion to Lover: [Chapter 9: His Paranoia]**

**Pairing: Byakuya Kuchiki x Renji Abarai**

**Rating: M **

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any Bleach characters (If I did, there would be lots of Ren x Bya subtext)**

* * *

The pair stood in total silence for a few minutes, slowly taking in just how badly the situation had turned. Someone had just witnessed the pair practically going at it on Byakuya's desk but before either of them could find out who had seen them, they disappeared without so much as a reiatsu trance. Renji ran his hand through his hair and looked over at his captain. He could almost see the cogs and wheels turning behind his slight frown.

Byakuya noticed his gaze and cleared his throat, "Let's head to the training ground, we're late enough as it is."

The lieutenant nodded his head without saying a word. They gathered their Zanpakutou's and exited Byakuya's office in a sombre fashion. It was only when they were close to the grounds that Byakuya finally spoke up. "Abarai, today I want you to talk to every member of this division separately at one point and I want you to make note of their reactions."

Renji could see what his captain was implying, "Do you think it's someone from this division who caught us?"

"Possibly. We're late enough that someone might have been sent to check on us." The pair arrived at the training grounds to see that the entire division had turned up. Mihane, who was standing on the outside of the group, waved and hurried forwards. Byakuya looked over at Renji and the redhead was shocked to see the tiniest hint of worry in his expression, "Report to me if you find anything out. Remain calm and act per usual."

Renji smiled wryly, "Don't worry, I'm a pro from working around you."

Mihane greeted the pair with a wide smile and a bow, "Finally, you made it!"

"I'm sorry we're so late, the paperwork took longer than we'd first thought," Renji apologised.

Byakuya silently walked away towards the head of the cluster of Shinigami, his mere presence making the division turn and fall silent. Renji couldn't help but stare in awe every time Byakuya silently commanded their attention. There were never as many large training sessions these days as they hoped because of their constant busyness, but when they did occur, it would remind Renji just how much he enjoyed being Byakuya's Lieutenant.

"He looks so in control, doesn't he?" Mihane clasped her hands together in clear admiration for her captain.

"He's _always_ in control," Renji sighed.

"That's true, but I think that's what we like about him. He's someone you can put your trust in."

Renji looked over at Mihane and could definitely see her devotion to the 6th Division. He'd secretly suspected her of being the one who'd caught them on the office, since she'd seemed the most excited for the training session, but going by her reaction, it wasn't likely that it was her. One down; a good deal more to go.

"Abarai, Shirogane!" Byakuya scolded, "Stop chatting between yourselves and join the rest of us!"

"Yes, sir!" The pair both called in unison and a few chuckles arose from the division. While Mihane disappeared into the group, Renji stood back behind Byakuya as a dutiful lieutenant should.

Byakuya commanded his division as he always had, "Listen up, we'll do some basic sparring first, keeping your Zanpakutou's in its sealed form. I suggest that everyone break up into teams. Abarai and I will move around and oversee the fights. Now split up."

After everyone had gotten themselves organised, a few small battles began with the other Shinigami surrounding and cheering their friends on. Byakuya spent his time silently patrolling along the sidelines and rarely ever got too close to the fights, though he would sometimes shout out constructive criticism when he saw fit. As he moved over to another fight, he heard the familiar yells of his lieutenant and looking over the heads of his subordinates, he saw Renji fighting it out with the 4th seated officer.

This was typical Renji. Even if he was told specifically to supervise a fight, he would eventually succumb to his instinct and join in. Byakuya watched as Renji charged forwards and clashed swords with his opponent, clearly enjoying himself. He got in a few good swings and clearly had the upper hand.

As Renji blocked a swing from the officer, his eye suddenly caught Byakuya's, who was standing in the background, watching him with interest. The lieutenant couldn't help but smirk and show off. He caught his opponent off guard with a quick low thrust of his blade and swung upwards, using brute strength to force the officer up off his feet. The crowd cheered as the 4th seated officer fell and a few came forward to pat Renji on the back. The lieutenant spun around and grinned at Byakuya, who looked away, but let the faintest hint of a smile linger.

Byakuya moved on to another fight and continued to make his rounds, commenting on the occasional move or fighting stance. As the day progressed, the division seemed to be really enjoying themselves and slowly but surely, everyone got a chance to fight once or twice. Out of the corner of his eye, Byakuya had watched as Renji had indeed steadily moved around to everyone and made quick conversation with them. It was nearing noon when the division had finished fighting, bowed to their captain and lieutenant and made their separate ways.

Only Mihane remained behind. She smiled up at Byakuya, "It's a shame we didn't get to see you in action, Captain Kuchiki."

Byakuya nodded, "Maybe next time."

Mihane bowed once more, waved to Renji and scampered off to find her friends. The captain waited till she was well out of sight before turning to his red-haired subordinate. "Did you find anyone suspicious?"

Renji, who was still lightly panting from another fight he took part in shook his head sadly, "I'm sorry, but everything was normal. I can safely say that it wasn't anyone from our division."

Byakuya cursed under his breath. "This makes things harder. If it was someone from this division, I would have more methods at my disposal to guarantee their silence. And by now, they might have spread the word about what they saw to others."

Renji could see how much this was frustrating his captain and he couldn't help but feel responsible. "It's only a matter of time before you find them."

"_We'll_ find them." Byakuya turned on the heel of his foot in the direction of the 6th Division building. "Now go clean yourself up and meet me back in my office when you're done. You're dismissed."

The redhead couldn't help but smile. "Yes, sir." After taking a well-deserved shower and finding some lunch, Renji returned to Byakuya's office where the stoic Shinigami was reading through some files on his desk. He looked down at the desk and couldn't help but think of what they'd almost done on it earlier this morning. He was only starting to realise how annoying it actually was to get interrupted when he had been so close to getting into his captain's pants. One thing was for sure, He'd never get to do _that _in this office ever again.

Byakuya watched him scowl at his desk and had a fair idea what he was thinking about. "Focus, Abarai. Now that we know it wasn't anyone from the 6th Division, is there anyone else that might come to mind?"

Renji snapped his fingers as a possible culprit came to mind, "It could've been Hisagi. He _did _say that he'd come back later. I'll go find him." If it was his friend in the 9th Division then at least he knew that he trusted Hisagi enough for him to keep such information a secret.

"Good. I'm going to talk to the 4th Division. I have a check-up scheduled, but if the time was changed, someone would have been sent to tell me and they might have been the one to see us." Byakuya put down the files he was reading and stood from behind his desk. "These are the only two leads we've got so be thorough in your search."

"Yes, Captain." Renji departed the office again and paused for a moment to think where he would find Hisagi. He hoped that he wouldn't be out on a mission or wasn't overly busy. Because he had to take over his departed captain's responsibilities, he was almost always busy doing something, but amazingly enough, still managed to make time for his friends.

Renji walked as briskly as possible to the 9th Division headquarters but when he got to the captain's office, where Hisagi usually resided, it was empty. Far from willing to give up, Renji asked around and after the majority of shinigami either shrugged or scratched their heads, the 8th seated officer pointed him in the direction of the Lieutenant's room saying that Matsumoto had invited him down there.

It was all Renji could do not to swear out loud. Matsumoto was amazing at getting juicy information out of people. That voluptuous woman seemed to take 'feminine intuition' to a whole new level which would make easy work of Hisagi, who had previously admitted to Renji that he had a crush on her. The situation had just become a little more stressful.

Just as the seated officer said, Renji found Hisagi at the usual table in the Lieutenant's room. And sure enough, Matsumoto was sitting opposite him. The pair had brought with them a couple of bottles of sake, no doubt ones that Matsumoto had stashed in her captain's office.

The pair quickly spotted their red-haired friend and called him over. "Oh, hey!" Matsumoto grinned, "We were just talking about all the different drinks they have in the real world. Hisagi really seems to like this 'coffee' drink."

Renji grimaced, "I'm not a fan. It's way too bitter for me."

"Soooo, Renji. How come you're here?" Matsumoto questioned.

Renji shrugged as he tried to think up a decent excuse. "I was passing by when I saw the two of you in here. Just thought I'd say hi."

Hisagi looked the redhead up and down, "You look exhausted, what have you been doing all day?"

"Captain Kuchiki finally organised a training session with the entire division. We finished up not too long ago."

"Sit down! You deserve a cooling drink with us." Matsumoto pulled out the chair beside her.

Renji accepted it and sat down. The whole time he was wondering how he could get rid of her without appearing suspicious. When Hisagi poured him a cup of sake, Renji accepted without complaint.

Hisagi pointed at the redhead. "If Captain Kuchiki finds us here, we'll tell him you came here of your own will. You're on your own."

Renji rolled his eyes lazily. "Thanks for the support, guys. But the captain's too busy to be looking for me right now."

Matsumoto took a swig of her drink, "So does that mean you've got something you're supposed be doing right now too?"

"... Nope." The second the words left Renji's mouth, he knew that he'd stalled for far too long for it to sound genuine.

Her eyes widened a fraction with interest and the redhead knew that he was screwed. Under Matsumoto's intense gaze, whatever lying skills Renji had were suddenly rendered useless.

The female Lieutenant leaned towards Renji with a leer, her chest overflowing dangerously as per usual. "Are you trying to hide something from me, Renji?"

The redhead leaned away from her slightly, "Ah..."

"You _are!_"

Hisagi watched, more confused than anything, as Matsumoto continued to advance towards Renji with a barrage of questions. Rather than getting himself involved, he just sat back and looked on silently.

Just as Renji was praying for some kind of intervention, he felt a familiar reiatsu enter the Lieutenant's Room. The icy aura was unmistakable.

"Matsumoto!" Captain Hitsugaya stood before the table looking quite annoyed. Renji couldn't have thought of a better moment for the captain to arrive and whisk the woman away.

The female lieutenant blinked at her superior, "Ah, Captain! I thought I'd lost you for good."

Captain Hitsugaya was clearly not impressed. "You should be filing through paperwork right now, but instead I find you..." His eyebrow twitched, "_drinking."_

It amazed Renji just how often Captain Hitsugaya had to put up with Matsumoto's antics. As a fellow lieutenant, Renji can't help but compare himself to her and the way that they're treated by their superiors.

Matsumoto knew a harsh verbal beating was on its way and leapt up off her chair while still remaining bubbly and smiling, "Sorry you two, turns out I've got some work to do. Bye, bye!" She followed her captain away and once the pair had left the room, only then did Hisagi speak up.

"... I'm not even sure I want to know what you two were going on about just now." He raised his hands, defeated.

Renji laughed, suddenly more relaxed knowing that he didn't have to worry about Matsumoto leering the truth out of him. Now he could back to the matter at hand; finding out whether or not it had been Hisagi that saw him and Byakuya earlier. The redhead did want to just tell his friend the truth about what had happened, but today had just proved that the fewer who knew about their relationship, the better.

He cocked his head in the direction of where Matsumoto left the room, "She was trying to read a little too deeply into what I'd said. Though granted, I was lying to her when I said that I didn't have anything I needed to be doing right now."

"Oh?" Hisagi was indeed curious, but nowhere near the insane degree that Matsumoto had been. "Has Captain Kuchiki got you doing something secretive?"

"More or less. After you left my captain's office, we had to go through some important paperwork-" Renji watched Hisagi's expression carefully,"- on his _desk_."

The other man didn't show any special reaction to the mention of the desk so Renji continued, "We left later to go do the training, but when we came back, we think those documents might have been taken."

Hisagi frowned, "Damn, who do you think did it?"

Renji responded with a shrug. "Not sure. I mean, we might've just misplaced them, but Captain Kuchiki wanted me to ask if you've been anywhere near the 6th Division Captain's office since you walked me there this morning. Just in case you might've seen something."

The black haired lieutenant shook his head, "Nah, sorry. I've been busy searching around with some of my division for a hollow that was spotted somewhere on the edge of the Rukongai. It was only a minor hollow so we easily dealt with it."

Renji could see that Hisagi wasn't lying, and it wasn't like ne needed a reason to. Another thought also occurred to him; if Hisagi had indeed been the one to catch them, he probably would've picked up on what Renji was getting at and would've said something. He already knew details about the redhead's feelings for his captain so it wouldn't have been so awkward to bring it up into conversation.

It was clear that Hisagi was not the culprit either. Renji didn't enjoy suspecting his friend, but all it meant now was that unless Byakuya hit a lead in the 4th Division, they had absolutely no clue who'd seen them. Maybe if would've been better if it _had_ been Hisagi. Renji picked up his drink and took a swig of it. Hopefully Byakuya was having more luck than he was.

Indeed, Byakuya was somewhat successful, but had now hit a dead end. After checking with someone from the 4th Division, the time for his check-up appointment had actually changed, but when he inquired as to who was sent to deliver the message, no one he asked knew. It didn't help that the 4th division was always naturally busy with patients and had little time for long probing questions. It was only because Byakuya was a captain that he managed to get the information out of them.

But all that this information told him was that his check-up time had been changed and that whoever had caught the captain and lieutenant was almost definitely from the 4th Division. The key was whoever was sent to give Byakuya the message and since the majority of changes go through the division's captain, he thought it wise to pay a visit to Captain Unohana to see if he could get more from her.

Byakuya saw Hanatarō scuttle past and stopped him with a hand on the shoulder. The timid shinigami flinched as he looked up at who'd stopped him, "C-Captain Kuchiki!"

"Where's Captain Unohana?"

"Ah, I just saw her go into her office moments ago."

Byakuya had been worried that Unohana would be busy with patients, but luck was obviously on his side as he opened her office door and found her reading through an anatomy book from her shelf.

Unohana looked up at her visitor, mildly surprised. "What brings you here, Byakuya?"

The 6th Division Captain stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. "I would like to know who you sent to give me the message about the time change for my check up appointment."

She looked back down at her book, "... I didn't send anyone." Unohana let the information sink in as Byakuya's eyes widened a fraction.

"_You_..."

"I thought it would be polite to tell you in person as a fellow captain, however..."

"However," Byakuya echoed grimly. This explained the lack of reiatsu trace; she had hidden it, something that takes years of hard training to perfect and as such a distinguished captain, it's a simple feat.

The air was suddenly tense between the two captains, the weight of the knowledge that they both shared hanging dangerously over their heads. Unohana's usual smile disappeared from her face, "I'm sorry, Byakuya."

* * *

Unohana! Why are you apologising? D:

Gosh darnit guys, I've left this on _another_ cliffhanger. I hope Byakuya and Renji's relationship can persevere through this...

For once I haven't got much to say except for I hope you're enjoying this series so far because it isn't ending any time soon :F

Comments and reviews will be used to bribe Unohana to keep quiet about what she's seen...


	10. His Dilemma

**Promotion to Lover: [His Dilemma]**

**Pairing: Byakuya Kuchiki x Renji Abarai**

**Rating: M **

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any Bleach characters (If I did, there would be oodles of Renji and Byakuya fanservice)**

* * *

The office went silent as Byakuya began to worry beneath his impartial expression. Could it be that he was too late? Was their secret out? He spoke slowly, "Why are you apologising?"

Unohana looked Byakuya straight in the eye, "I cannot support this relationship you are engaged in with your lieutenant."

A cold chill ran through Byakuya's body. "Have you shared this information with anyone?"

"No, I haven't." She watched her fellow captain visibly calm down. "But that doesn't mean I'll feint ignorance if someone else raises this issue with me."

Byakuya nodded, "I don't expect anything less and I appreciate your discretion. However, I want to know why you oppose this matter."

Unohana blinked at him in mild surprise. It was obvious to her why Byakuya's relations with Abarai were a bad idea. "Have you honestly thought through what you're doing, Byakuya? As Abarai is your Lieutenant, a sexual relationship with him will cause judgement and authority problems for the both of you."

Irritation laced through Byakuya's voice, "My duties as Captain are my first and foremost priority no matter who I associate myself with."

"I do believe you when you say that, but there's something else that also troubles me. I can understand Abarai's feelings since he has always admired you, but your motives aren't as clear to me. I remember your marriage to Hisana, rest her soul, but now you have feelings for your lieutenant, a man no less?" Captain Unohana's eyes suddenly widened. "Oh my goodness... I'm so ashamed..." She muttered under her breath.

Byakuya watched, confused. "Excuse me?"

Unohana suddenly stood up from behind her desk and moved around to the door. "I'm sorry but this conversation is finished. I have an urgent matter at hand. Oh, also, your check-up time has changed to tomorrow at 1:15. Please take your leave while I'm gone."

"Wait, Unohana!" Byakuya tried to stop her but she left her office in a hurry, leaving him standing with his mouth agape. He pinched the bridge of his nose, "Could this day get any worse?"

As Byakuya left the 4th Division, he thought over the situation they had gotten themselves into. He'd known that getting caught was bound to happen eventually, but not for a while at least. And even then, he'd never thought about how they would deal with it. Byakuya could use his background to help cover up any blemishes on his record, but Renji, on the other hand, didn't have the power to make those problem disappear.

The stoic Captain chewed at his lip. Was their relationship doomed to failure already?

When Byakuya returned to his office, he was surprised to see Renji idling in front of his book shelf. "Oh, hey, Captain Kuchiki. Hisagi didn't know anything either so I thought I'd come back and wait-" he paused when he saw Byakuya's frowning expression, "... you found who caught us, didn't you?"

Byakuya walked around his desk and slumped down into his chair, "It was Captain Unohana."

Renji's eyes widened, "had she told anyone about what she saw?"

The captain shook his head. "No, she told me that she didn't intend to, but... She suddenly got flustered and rushed out of her office. I don't trust her."

"Ah..." The redhead bit his lip. He'd never expected their accidental onlooker to be another captain, least of all Unohana. He thought for a moment that maybe he should try and talk to her himself, but if Byakuya had a hard time talking to her, then there was no way that he'd be able to do a better job.

Renji watched his captain and although to most he would've looked as stoic as usual, he could see the slightest signs that Byakuya was very stressed out indeed. As his lover, the redhead was certainly concerned and couldn't help but feel like he should lessen Byakuya's burden somehow. As a thought came to him, he smiled before turning to his captain. "Since there isn't much to do about the situation at this moment, I might as well be doing something constructive. Is there any paperwork I can do?"

Byakuya blinked, somewhat surprised. "... There is. On the right side of the shelf is a folder of files that you've managed to neglect for the past month and while you were away, a few more have piled up." The captain shuffled through the papers on his desk and held out the ones concerning his lieutenant.

Renji plucked them out of his hands and grabbed the folder from the shelf. It was much heavier than he remembered, making him blush with embarrassment. He'd never attempted to hide his dislike for paperwork, but this was just downright lazy.

By now, Byakuya was watching Renji with interest. He had no idea what his subordinate was planning and his curiosity heightened with Renji scribbling away with zeal, his pen scratching the papers with some new found determination.

The captain decided to follow suit and set to work on his own files. Not ten minutes later, Renji rose from the corner he'd been sitting in and smacked the files down on the 'completed' pile on the desk. Byakuya frowned, "Would you care to explain why you're suddenly acting so out of character?"

"Well you're already stressed enough from your talk with Captain Unohana, so I thought that this was one way I could help you calm down. The less stress the better, right?" Renji only realised just how ridiculous it sounded out loud.

"Of course, though I would prefer it if you had this zeal for work _all_ the time." When Renji looked crestfallen, Byakuya added, "But thank you, I do appreciate the sentiment."

The lieutenant's expression brightened at the compliment but was quick to fade when his captain pulled out a thick folder hidden under the document he was currently working on. "I was planning on doing this later, but since you finished your work so quickly, I want you to sort through them and mark which ones need updating or throwing out. When you finish that, I've still got a few other things I could get you to do."

Byakuya very nearly smiled when he heard his subordinates resigned sigh. He could see that the redhead was already regretting his offer.

And true to his word, Byakuya kept on throwing task after task at Renji, but to his surprise, the lieutenant rose splendidly to the challenge. Renji's fighting spirit kept him going at a steady pace and with their combined effort, by the time the sun had set, there wasn't a single document unfinished.

"It's time we call it a day." Byakuya rose from his chair without showing any signs that he'd been sitting in it for over a few hours without moving.

Renji on the other hand, stood and stretched, some of his joints cracking in the process. "Is there anything else that we still need to do?"

"No, actually. In fact, since there's nothing to do, there's no need for you to come in tomorrow. You may take the day off if you want to, unless there's another task or mission that you want to take part in."

A wide grin spread across Renji's face. This was the first time that Byakuya had ever given him anything resembling a day off, though granted, it was also the first (and probably the last) time that he'd ever worked hard enough in the office to even warrant one. This might even be a great opportunity to spend some quality time with Byakuya. As his captain moved to the door, he reached out to grab him by the arm, maybe even pull him into an embrace if he could get away with it, "What are _you_ going to do tomorrow?"

"My check-up with Unohana is tomorrow around one.-"

Renji pulled his hand back, the weight of the situation they were still in hit him hard. It was selfish actions like this that had landed them in this mess in the first place.

"-I'm determined to figure out her intentions with the information about our relationship, for both our sakes." After opening the office door wide, he turned to the redhead who was still frozen in thought. "Coming, Abarai?"

"Yeah..." All of a sudden, Renji wasn't looking forward to a day off.

-xxxxx-

Renji woke with a start, knowing that he had most certainly slept in too long. He leapt up out of his bed and was mentally preparing himself for a cold, questioning glare from his captain when he remembered that today was a day off. So Renji decidedly slumped back onto his bed.

Yesterday had been a hectic and shitty day. Because of one slip of self restraint, Renji had potentially doomed his relationship with Byakuya. But to be honest, there was still a tiny part of him that was still shocked that they had managed to progress this far. He remembered a time when he was happy just with standing at Byakuya's side, content in knowing that his feelings would forever be unrequited. But sitting on the corner of his bed right now, Renji knew that he wouldn't trade any of the recent times with him for the world.

But that wasn't the problem here. Deep down, Renji could give a fuck if word got out that he loved another man. Sure, it could cause trouble for him, but it was better than having never loved Byakuya at all. But Byakuya was another story; he had his position to think of, his livelihood, his reputation, his authority, all of which the redhead knew were important to him, would be in serious trouble.

Before yesterday, Renji was proud to think that he had influenced Byakuya enough for him to put them on the line with their relationship, but now, he wasn't so sure. By making this dream a reality, had he unintentionally risked way too much?

As if his brain was intent on making him suffer even more, images of him pinning his captain against the wall of this very room flashed through his mind.

"_Dammit!_" Renji squeezed his eyes shut and fell backwards onto his bed in frustration. Moping around in his room was getting him nowhere. He clamoured back up off his bed and got ready as fast as he could because if he spend any longer in this room, he'd probably go insane. Grabbing Zabimaru, he departed his room and the 6th Division building.

Just as he was realising that he didn't know what to do now that he'd left, thankfully, Ikkaku happened to pass by and was happy to see the redhead.

"Renji! Haven't seen you around for a while," Ikkaku remarked.

Renji nodded, "Yeah, I just came back from a mission in the real world. Ichigo's still managing fine."

He smirked at the mention of their substitute shinigami pal. "He'd better. Did you get to fight any decent hollows while you were there?"

The redhead grinned. "There were a few big ones that we found lurking around a park."

"Lucky! I haven't been on any mission's recently and I'm just _itching_ to fight something." Ikkaku glanced at the Zanpakutou at Renji's hip. "It's been ages since you and I fought last. Whaddya say, Renji, want to have a match if you've got some spare time?"

"I'm free right now."

Ikkaku's eyes glinted, "perfect."

The pair found a secluded spot around the back of the 11th Division that Ikkaku was obviously very familiar with. His fingers were itching to pull out his blade as they faced each other. Ikkaku made the first move and swung down hard on the redhead.

Renji blocked it and knew his opponent well enough to expect a second strike with his scabbard, so when Ikkaku did just as he expected, he was more than ready for it.

Ikkaku's strikes were hard and powerful; no doubt a sign of just how badly he'd wanted a battle. Renji fought to keep up with his relentless pace and for the most part, he was doing fine, until the lieutenant barely dodged a very simple swing.

"What's up with you today, Renji? You're making stupid mistakes!" Ikkaku tutted.

The redhead deflected another blow and stepped on the offensive. Even while talking Ikkaku didn't lower his blade. "Right now I have a huge problem that refuses to go away," Renji said.

"Well forget about it! I'm not your fucking psychiatrist! Right now, fighting me is all you should worry about." The 11th division shinigami unleased his Shikai, his Zanpakutou and scabbard fusing together and expanding out into a three section staff. He grinned, "_Grow, Hōzukimaru_. If you don't focus all your attention on me, I _could_ kill you."

Renji grinned back at him. If Ikkaku was going to get serious, then it was his responsibility to step up to the plate. He'd show his friend just how much he'd improved since their last battle. Renji ran a hand along his blade and it separated into jagged segments. "_Howl, Zabimaru!_"

And so, for the next good hour and a half, Renji and Ikkaku fought with every iota of strength they had. Ikkaku got a few decent hits in, but so did Renji. Even after all that time, it was clear that no one was winning, but the both of them had expended so much energy that a truce was called.

Renji, panting, sealed his Shikai and leant against a wall. "Thanks, Ikkaku. I think I needed that."

Ikkaku nodded like he knew that he was right, "fighting solves almost everything." He pulled off the base of his Zanpakutou's hilt and rubbed salve across the cut along his cheek (courtesy of a surprise attack). "This problem that you've got... You reckon you'll be able to fix it?"

Because of their battle, Renji was too drained to feel anxious when Ikkaku brought up the topic. The redhead shrugged, "... I hope so."

"Don't just hope; fight." Ikkaku walked passed the lieutenant, "We're Shinigami, it's what we're trained to do best. See ya, Renji. I've gotta go find Yumichika."

As he departed, the redhead cracked a smile, "I thought you said you weren't my psychologist!"

Ikkaku threw him the bird and Renji let out a laugh. All the tension he'd had from earlier was gone. And in his sudden moment of tranquillity, Renji wanted to see Byakuya. Going by the height the sun was at in the sky, the captain's check-up appointment would easily be over by now.

But first, the redhead needed to clean himself up. He did so as briskly as possible and found himself in front of Byakuya's office. He half expected him not to be in there, since he'd said that today was a day off, but because he was a captain, and _Byakuya_ no less, it was likely that he would be in there, writing away at some document. But he wasn't; the office was empty.

Renji bit his lip. If he wasn't at his office, there was somewhere else that Byakuya would almost certainly be, but he wasn't even sure of he was _allowed_ to go there so casually. The only times that Renji had ever been into the Kuchiki household before were because he'd been given orders to. But still, he wanted to see Byakuya and for that, it was worth a try.

In one word, the Kuchiki mansion was monumental. Just by seeing its high walls and arching doorway, Renji knew that he was stepping into something grand. Places like this always made Renji slightly uncomfortable. It was probably because he was much more used to the slums of Rukongai, but what really put him on edge, was that this was the _Kuchiki_ mansion. Every single square inch had a Byakuya vibe about it.

Renji came close to the towering front gate and as he expected, two guards appeared. The guards at Kuchiki manor wear a specific uniform of a purple, ninja-like outfit, wearing same coloured headbands with 'Kuchiki' written on them in Kanji. "Lieutenant Abarai." One said.

The redhead cleared his throat, "I'm looking for Captain Kuchiki. Has he returned from the 4th Division?"

"He has," the other one said.

They opened the gate for him and Renji nodded his head in thanks. It appeared that they let him in a little too easily, but he knew that these men were trained professionals. They took one look at him and knew that he was the genuine Renji Abarai. He didn't expect anything less from the Kuchiki household.

The inside of the Kuchiki mansion was even more grandeur that the outside. The walls were all made of the sturdiest wood and bamboo, and in places, they looked ridiculously delicate. The mansion itself was so vast that a small river ran through the grounds and past Byakuya's own private rooms. Renji passed a big lake filled with beautiful, sizeable Koi whose golden scales glittered as they passed near the surface of the water. Byakuya had once expressed his annoyance to his lieutenant that the number of Koi in the lake was diminishing.

As he walked along the veranda, a young female member of staff happened by him. "Lieutenant Abarai! Do you want me to inform master Kuchiki of your arrival?"

Renji smiled politely, "No, that's fine. I can find him myself."

"He's in his private office, second room on the right." She bowed slightly, "Good day."

"Y-yes, good day." The redhead did as she said, but when he slid open the door, it was just an empty room. Since there was another door ahead of him, he opened that as well but once again, empty. Renji knew that traditional Japanese mansions were full of empty rooms, but he couldn't help but get a little frustrated. He tried two more doors but with the same result. When he slid open the next door however, he knew that he was in the wrong place.

The room seemed smaller than the others, but that was probably because there were items in this one. It was Byakuya's bedroom. Renji knew he _really_ wasn't supposed to be here. There was a large (probably very expensive) futon on a low wooden frame in one corner and in the other was a stand holding an array of intricately detailed katanas, all bearing the Kuchiki crest. Opposite the futon was a small desk with a small bonsai tree, a few books on calligraphy neatly stacked in alphabetical order and to Renji's surprise, a few photo frames.

Byakuya had never had photographs in his office in the 6th Division and Renji just assumed that he wasn't that kind of sentimental person who would keep photo frames everywhere. It was strange seeing them sitting there and he couldn't help but look at them. The larger photo frame held a picture of him and his grandfather, Ginrei Kuchiki. Byakuya was young there, barely a teenager. Renji smiled at the image. Byakuya looked a lot softer, there was very little of the stern, composed captain that he had come to know. The second frame held a picture of a man, who Renji assumed to be Byakuya's father. Renji didn't know his name, but he did know that he had died a while ago when he was younger.

In the last photograph, Renji instantaneously recognised the face smiling softly back at him. A face that appeared so like Rukia's that if someone didn't know who this woman was, they wouldn't know the difference. She was Hisana Kuchiki, Byakuya's deceased wife. Upon seeing her face, his previous calmness wavered. Byakuya had been married to her once; he'd loved her and they'd lived happily together, even though it was only for a short time.

Renji could never compete with that. He looked at her photograph and he realised just how lucky she was. Because Renji held feelings for Byakuya, he felt like there was a sort of connection between the two of them, but even so, their situations were worlds apart. Even if Byakuya loved Renji with every fibre of his being, he would never be able to sit his photograph among the treasured others. Hisana's photograph reminded him of just how fragile their relationship was.

He couldn't look anymore. Renji crossed the room to go back where he came from, but Byakuya appeared before him.

"Abarai?"

Renji smiled apologetically, " Sorry, I got lost."

"Yes, if you'd turned right at the third door then you would've found my office." Byakuya stepped into his room, "One of the staff told me that you'd arrived and since you hadn't shown up yet, you'd obviously gotten lost."

The lieutenant blushed with embarrassment. He changed the subject. "How was the check-up? Did you manage to get anything else out of Captain Unohana?"

Byakuya frowned and looked away. "No, I didn't. She practically ignored me the whole time, but for some reason, I don't think it was intentional. It looked like she had something very important on her mind. I knew that it had something to do with me, but it wasn't about me _specifically_." He sighed, "I'm more confused than ever."

Renji didn't know why he did it, but seeing Byakuya like that made him grab him by the arm and pull him into a soft embrace.

The captain's eyes widened for a brief moment. "Renji, I'm perfectly fine, I don't need a hug."

"I'm not doing it for you, I'm doing it for me." He spoke through Byakuya's hair.

The redhead felt him soften in his arms and he could practically see the tiny smile at the corner of his lips, "... Liar."

Renji squeezed Byakuya a little tighter, but why did it feel like he wasn't there at all?

* * *

Poor Renji! This really is an awful dilemma and it just breaks my heart. Don't worry Renji! It'll all be ok! (I promised myself I wouldn't cry.)

Woah, this chapter is a little longer than what I usually do, but I was on a roll. I kid you not guys, right now its 2 in the morning. After slaign away to assignments, I decided that I'd done enough for the day and opened up this chapter. I was only about halfway though than all of a sudden, BAM! I finished it! And now I need to sleep.

But one more thing, I won't be able to update for the next month because I have major exams and won't have any time at all to upload anything new for any of my other fanfictions. Sorry about that, guys. (Maybe it is a good thing that this chapter is accidentally longer.)

Oh, also DOUBLE DIGITS! YAY! *sniff* My darling fanfic is growing up so darn fast! *promptly starts crying*

Comments and reviews will be used to put all this misery and hardship behind them. I JUST WANT THEM TO BE HAPPY, DAMMIT!


	11. His Confusion

**Promotion to Lover: [Chapter 11: His Confusion]**

**Pairing: Byakuya Kuchiki x Renji Abarai**

**Rating: M **

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any Bleach characters (If I did, there would be heaps of yaoi undertones)**

* * *

It was a very bizarre morning in the 6th Division. When the Shinigami arrived to perform their daily duties, they felt an unexplainable amount of tension in the air. It didn't take them long to realise the source of all this tense feeling radiated from Captain Kuchiki's office. They couldn't confidently say what kind of mood their captain was in so the Shinigami all started avoiding the area entirely out of fear that he might exact his strange mood out on them.

When Renji arrived (late as per usual), Mihane bound up to him. Hopefully he would be able to deal with the situation. "Finally you're here Lieutenant Abarai, this morning's been so- Oh my god! Abarai, are you okay?"

Renji hadn't slept a wink last night. After leaving the Kuchiki Household feeling horrible again, the redhead spent some time basking in his own depression in the comfort of his room. It didn't take him too long to rise out of it, but once he did, he was suddenly plagued by questions about why Unohana was so overtly opposed to their relationship and how the hell they were going to get around it. Unsurprisingly enough, he didn't get very far on his own but since it was already dark, his thought processes continued to spiral until the sun was up again.

The lieutenant barely even heard Mihane's gasps of worry and continued right past her and towards Byakuya's office.

Inside said room, Byakuya was suffering as well. He was busily trying to decipher Unohana's bizarre actions and was getting continuously frustrated with his inability to find an answer. He'd been wired since yesterday and despite his briefly distracting encounter with Renji, his frustration was continuing to mount as time passed and it prevented him from being able to do any meaningful work. To be perfectly honest, he'd been staring at the same weekly notice for the last couple of hours.

Renji entered his captain's office as quietly as possible and grumbled a quick, "_Morning_."

"Morning, Abarai," Byakuya sighed back. He glanced up from his desk to see his lieutenant looking absolutely horrible. "Straighten yourself up; you are a total mess."

The redhead absentmindedly fixed up his uniform, "Sorry, I didn't exactly get a good sleep last night. Though, from the looks of it, neither did you."

"_Mn_," the captain made a noise of agreement. "I didn't realise that this situation with Captain Unohana would become so needlessly complicated."

Renji had never seen Byakuya look so stressed. He usually internalised such emotions, but to see it as clear as day on his face meant that it was serious. "Is there anything you want me to do?"

The captain looked up at his lieutenant with mixed feelings. He'd earlier realised that if he hadn't tried to act on Renji's confession that he'd overheard in the lieutenant's room, neither of them would be in this undesirable situation. Renji was the same as he'd always been; proof of that was how long Byakuya had been unawares of his strong feelings. It was _Byakuya_ that had changed, and in some ways for the worse. He was a _Captain_ for god sake, yet since he entered this onslaught of emotional fluctuation, his rational mind had become severely compromised.

Byakuya bit his lip, "Until Captain Unohana's intentions are clear, I believe that we should cease this relationship that we are involved in."

Renji felt as if someone had tipped a bucket of ice-cold water over him. He hadn't been prepared for such a direct statement though as much as he wanted to disagree, he had also been thinking the same thing. "I... I understand. I would hate for this to negatively impact your position... and status."

Byakuya shook his head, "There's no need to worry about such things. I'm safe _because_ of my status. I'm more worried about yours."

The redhead frowned, "I'm a mutt from Inuzuri, Captain. Even if others did find out about our relationship, I couldn't care less. But you're a _noble_, there's no way they'd let you live it down."

"Nobles are far better at quashing information leaks than regular shinigami." Byakuya could feel himself starting to get angry. Why couldn't Renji see that he was doing this for his sake? "But I can't guarantee that your reputation would be clean."

Renji folded his arms across his chest, "It's clear that neither of us really cares if this information gets out. So why are you still adamant that we should put our relationship on hold? Do you _want_ us to go back to normal and forget like this ever happened?"

"_NO, I don't._" The captain spoke firmly, making Renji's eyes widen. "I Don't... But we have to. We need to step back a little and make our move from there; Take some time to wade it out. If our fellow shinigami find out that we're in a relationship, I want it to be on _our_ terms. They may know eventually, but certainly not in this way."

"I understand." The lieutenant fought back a smile. The way Byakuya had said it, it sounded like he planned to stay with Renji long enough that hiding their relationship would become impossible. It was a promise that he hadn't realised he'd needed to hear. "But this is only going to be temporary, right?"

Byakuya nodded. "Only until we get a better grasp on the situation."

Renji was about to make a quip about doing so as fast as possible when he saw a flutter at the window behind Byakuya. He nodded in its direction, "You've got a Hell Butterfly waiting for you."

The captain turned and quickly let the black insect into the office. It fluttered around in a circle then daintily landed on Byakuya's outstretched hand. After a moment, his expression hardened.

"What is it?" Renji asked.

The butterfly flew back out the window as Byakuya went to reach for his Zanpakutou, "A large group of hollows have appeared in the middle of Rukongai and we've been asked to take care of it. Abarai, gather the division."

"Yes, captain." With that, their conversation was over. They both knew that whatever problems they had, their job as shinigami came first.

Renji exited the office and briskly walked into the division's quarters. Since it was still early in the morning, most of the division were present. "Alright guys," Renji said loudly and all eyes fell on him, "we've got an outbreak of hollows in Rukongai. You duties are to eliminate the hollows and protect the residents. Gather your Zanpakutou's and get ready to head out. Mihane!"

"Lieutenant Abarai?" The girl stepped forwards from group of rushing shinigami.

"You're pretty good at following reiatsu threads?"

She nodded quickly, "Yes, you can count on me!"

"I want you to find anyone who isn't here and tell them the news. You'll easily be able to follow Captain Kuchiki's reiatsu back to our location. Hurry."

"Yes, sir!" And she was gone in a flash.

Byakuya appeared beside the redhead and addressed the division, "Head out when ready!"

The lieutenant followed his captain out and they flitted across the rooftops using Shunpo. They made sure not to move too quickly so that their division would still be able to follow them. It wasn't too long before they reached Rukongai and they followed the loud screams of the hollows right into the middle of the district. Renji's eyes widened at the sight. There were a few dozen toad-like hollows with their signature bony, white masks that were climbing all over the building structures and attacking the residents as they fled from their homes.

The pair readied themselves and released their shikai's; "_Scatter, Senbonzakura!"_ Byakuya's Zanpakutou broke apart into a cloud of tiny blades, reflecting the light like cherry blossoms. "_Howl, Zabimaru!"_ Renji's Zanpakutou split itself into spine-like segments that whipped back and forth, connected by thick wires.

The rest of their division began arriving and with their captain and lieutenant in the lead, began to fight off the amphibian-like hollows. Mihane arrived shortly (her reiatsu tracking skills were indeed impressive), just in time to rescue a small boy from a drooling hollow. She fought violently against it, but didn't notice a second hollow sneaking up from her left side. She saw it too late but as it leapt at her, Renji appeared and blocked its path, sending Zabimaru headfirst into it and cracking its mask.

"Thanks, Lieutenant Abarai!"

Renji smiled and with another heavy blow to the hollow, its mask split in two and with a loud screech, disappeared. He surveyed the scene and could easily see that his division was making short work of the hollows. He saw how hard they'd been training and couldn't help but feel proud.

But suddenly, the air seemed to ripple around them as a strong reiatsu came out of nowhere. The pair heard a loud _CRASH _behind them and they turned to see a huge hollow with its claws dug into the roof of one of the houses. Its appearance was very similar to the other hollows they were fighting, but this was nearly four times the size.

"_Look at all the delicious Shinigami." _It cackled in a low, devious tone. Its long tongue rolled out of its mouth and flicked around in the air.

Renji didn't even bother hiding his disgust. He set himself back into a fighting stance and charged at the giant hollow, leaping up and slashing Zabimaru down upon it. His blade did cut the creature, but to the redhead's surprise, it suddenly started cackling again. Before he had time to react, its large tongue came whipping around and wrapped itself around Renji's neck and flinging him down to the ground.

The lieutenant winced for the impact but Byakuya caught him by the shoulders before he hit the ground. "Watch out." The captain said non-chalantly.

"Thanks, I- _augh!_" a sharp, prickling sensation suddenly spread around Renji's neck and shoulders.

"Lieutenant Abarai!" Mihane rushed over fearfully.

Byakuya inspected him and frowned as he saw that Renji's skin was suddenly turning red where the hollow's tongue had touched him. The captain wiped off some of the saliva on Renji's skin and he winced too as the tip of his finger started to burn. "It's Acidic."

The giant hollow started laughing louder, "_slowly, slowly your skin will be eaten away. Delicious, gooey Shinigami."_

Byakuya turned towards the beast, unfazed. "Abarai, you take care of the others. I'll take care of this one."

"But, Captain!" Mihane tried to interject. Surely Renji needed to sit this one out before he got even more hurt!

"Shirogane," Byakuya spoke firmly, "You're insulting your lieutenant by underestimating him."

Renji winked at her, "It'll take more than this to stop me."

The female shinigami opened her mouth to retort, but her expression slowly changed into a smile, "I'm sorry."

The redhead got back up and brandished his Zanpakutou. He smiled at Byakuya, "Yes, Captain."

Byakuya nodded and gathered his Senbonzakura before him.

The huge toad-like hollow flicked its tongue around sending saliva onto various surfaces that slowly started to get eaten away. "_Didn't you see your friend? You'll end up just like him!"_

The captain's emotionless expression didn't waver, "Of course not. You could never hope to beat me."

The hollow snarled and shot his tongue out, but Byakuya was expecting that. He dodged it easily and with one motion of his hand, Senbonzakura swirled around and cut the creatures tongue off. The hollow squealed with pain but the captain's attack didn't slow. He brought his Shikai back around and dealt blow after blow relentlessly, each tiny blade cutting into the hollow so quickly that there was soon a pink blur surrounding the huge creature. There was a resounding _THUD_ as the hollow fell to the ground, dead. As it disappeared, Senbonzakura changed back into it's sealed form and Byakuya slid it back into it's sheath.

By this point, the division had basically finished off all the other smaller toad-like hollows and when the final one disappeared, they all gave a victorious cheer. At worst there were a few serious injuries from some of the Rukongai residents and one or two Shinigami, but at this point no one had died.

Byakuya returned to his lieutenant's side to check up on him, "How's your neck?"

Renji's neck was now a deep, bloody red as the acid had eaten through a few more layers of skin. He winced with a smile, "I won't lie; it really hurts. Hopefully the 4th Division get here quickly."

The moment he said it, the pair shared a look of discomfort. Who knows how Captain Unohana was going to act before them. They had little idea as the 4th Division arrived promptly to deal with the wounded. They quickly saw Captain Unohana and suddenly Renji wasn't sure how to feel. The way Byakuya had described it, the captain obviously wasn't in the best of moods, but he himself had yet to see how bad it was.

But whatever expression he expected to see, he'd never guessed that she would be extremely cheerful. The redhead looked at Byakuya to get confirmation that this was not what he should've expected and true enough, Byakuya looked just as confused as he was.

Unohana inspected Renji's wounds and tutted briefly. "I can fix this easily, I'll just need you to come with me back to our division."

Byakuya was still somewhat confused as to why she was suddenly being nice again so he just nodded. He and the wounded went back to the 4th Division while the rest were given a well-deserved break until he returned. Mihane parted from the pair with the other Shinigami.

Once at her Division, Captain Unohana tended to Renji personally, pulling forth a jar out of one of the various cupboards and handing it to Renji, "This will neutralize the acid and help repair your skin at a faster rate."

When she noticed the bemused expressions on their faces, she smiled a little. "I assume Captain Kuchiki has informed you about our conversation," she said to Renji.

The redhead was busy rubbing the salve around his neck and shoulders. "He has, which is why we're not sure why you're acting so differently."

She nodded sadly, "Byakuya, I owe you an apology. When we were discussing my discovery of your relationship, I realised that I am not medically equipped to deal with any problems that may arise from it. I was so ashamed with myself that the moment I left I made sure to stock up on the correct supplies and they only just arrived earlier this morning which explains why I've been in such a strange mood around you recently."

Byakuya held up a hand to slow her speech, "I'm sorry, but when you say 'supplies', what exactly do you mean?"

And Unohana replied with a calm expression that only a doctor could make, "Well, supplies such as protection, some lubricants, information guides and pamphlets, vaccinations for various STI's and other medical items that would be required for homosexual patients. You both are the first shinigami that I know are gay and it is my own fault that I wasn't prepared for such a situation beforehand so I am very sorry." Her sweet smile suddenly had a menacing undertone, "But my personal opinion on the matter still stays the same. Just remember that."

Renji spoke somewhat vacantly, "Yes. We will."

The pair exited the 4th Division without a word and it wasn't until they got back to Byakuya's office that Unohana's words finally dawned on them. Renji laughed shakily, "Did... Did that just happen? I was _not_ expecting her to react like that and... Byakuya?"

His captain had turned away from him and when the redhead got a look at his face, he had to cover his mouth lest he burst out loud laughing. Byakuya was blushing so hard that his cheeks were nearly the same colour as Renji's neck. "I've never been so embarrassed in my entire life," he managed to say.

Renji chuckled lightly. Of course, Byakuya wasn't used to the terminology that Unohana had used. He'd been raised in a noble household and had originally been straight so all of this was _very_ new to him. His reaction was one of the funniest things Renji had ever seen, but was also very endearing. "But aren't you glad that the situation with Unohana has sorted itself out? Now we don't need to put everything on hold."

"It certainly is good to get that out of the way." Byakuya flopped down into the chair behind his desk, "I know she said that she won't deny our relationship to anyone who asks about it, but as long as we don't make anymore mistakes, the likelihood of that occurring is next to nothing."

Renji nodded and winced as his neck stung a little. He went to rub it but refrained from doing so. "I'm not sure if I managed to cover my entire wound with the salve and considering it's _acid_, I'd hate to miss a spot. Could I get you to check the back of my neck?"

"Sure," his captain motioned him to come towards him and the redhead sat on the ground, leaning against Byakuya's knees. He covered the wound entirely in the salve again, making sure he didn't miss any areas. "Done. You can get up now."

But Renji didn't get back up. He'd closed his eyes and folded his arms in his lap. "All of a sudden I'm really tired. If you don't mind, I think I deserve a quick nap."

Now that he'd mentioned it, Byakuya was feeling quite worn out as well. Now that the stress had been taken off their shoulders, they could relax without worry. The captain looked down at Renji and a tiny smiled curled at the corner of his mouth when he noticed that Renji was already asleep. He played with the end of his lieutenant's ponytail absent-mindedly, thinking about just how hectic the past week had been and how some uninterrupted time together would be a nice reprieve. But to be able to do so, he'd need to make absolutely sure that no one would catch them again. Byakuya frowned with concentration as he thought about the best way to do that.

Eventually the captain's eyelids started getting heavy and leaning back on his chair, it didn't take long before he was fast asleep as well. The office was quiet except for the steady breathing of two sleeping shinigami who were once again feeling peaceful.

* * *

I just couldn't do it, folks. I was originally going to spread this dramam out for at least one more chapter, but I just couldn't do it. I wanted to see these two happy, dammit!

Also, oh my god, Unohana! You might be an amazing doctor but your communication skills are awful! Haha, when she's telling Byakuya and Renji what the 'supplies' are, I originally wrote 'contraceptives' meaning condoms specifically, but it was only later that I realised that a gay couple needing contraceptives was quite redundant, so I changed the word to 'protection'.

I also realised that I seem to be writing Byakuya and Renji as a bit of an idiot couple, but I reckon with their very different personalities, it makes them unintentionally quite adorable.

So, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!

Comments and reviews will be used to find out just what exactly Byakuya is planning for the two of them. Something romantic perhaps? (though considering his personality, that's probably not even possible.)


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